


Dizgaia ~ The Sorcerer's Apprentice

by Mara Sadowski (Calamitys_Child)



Series: Dizgaia [2]
Category: Aladdin (1992), Disney - All Media Types, Journey Into Imagination (Ride), Peter Pan & Related Fandoms, Sleeping Beauty - All Media Types, Tron - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Multi, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 80,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29943246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calamitys_Child/pseuds/Mara%20Sadowski
Summary: Miandra Mercurial, the Dreamfinder's daughter, finds herself an unwilling pawn in the war between good and evil. The good guys want to protect her, and the bad guys want to use her as a weapon to accomplish their own wicked goals. Having grown up on Earth knowing only what the fairytale stories and Disney movies would have her believe, Miandra is still learning her way around this whimsical but dangerous new world.In this sequel story to "Dizgaia ~ The Dreamfinder's Daughter," Miandra finds herself forcibly apprenticed to one of the most dangerous people in all of Dizgaia, and it is up to Kevin Flynn, Tron, and one of Dizgaia's greatest heroes to rescue her. In the meantime, Miandra must use her strengths and play her own manipulation game until her friends arrive. A dark, sinister fate awaits Miandra if her friends can't save her in time. The clock is ticking!
Relationships: Aladdin/Jasmine (Disney), Jafar/OC, Kevin Flynn/OC
Series: Dizgaia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201436
Kudos: 1





	1. Peter ~ The Search For Miandra

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction. Just for fun, not for profit. The story and the main character, Miandra Mercurial, and a few others belong to me. The rest belong to Disney (who borrowed them from Hans Christian Andersen, The Brothers Grimm, James M. Barrie, and others) just with my own little twist on them.
> 
> Author's Note: If you're here and you haven't yet read Dizgaia ~ The Dreamfinder's Daughter, I highly advise reading that first, as this is the sequel to that. Happy reading, everyone!

Puerto Dorado had fallen on hard times. The docks were left in shambles after Captain Hook's departure in a blaze of fire and fury, as well as the subsequent unwelcome visitor in the form of the sea witch and her kraken. No one would soon forget the misfortune that had befallen them. But reconstruction had begun, and it was anticipated that soon the harbor would bustle with activity once more. The island's economy had taken a hit after these most recent disasters, but it would recover. It had seen hard times before.

The island's governor, a grizzled, haggard old pirate who was a legend in his own right, stood on the balcony that overlooked the beach behind the governor's mansion, gazing out to sea. It was an evening like any other. The sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon. The Mercado was quiet. The town scallywags had retired to the pubs for the night. Music and raucous laughter echoed from tavern windows. Warm firelight glowed within the adobe houses below, and the street lamps were being lit. The ships were at harbor, each manned by a skeleton crew, as a reposing pirate played a lonely cadenza on his accordion.

All was still until a bright ball of light rose up from the eastern shore of the island and soared over the sleepy little town like a will-o'-the-wisp possessed by a sort of madness. And indeed there was a kind of franticness about it as it came hurdling towards the governor's mansion and straight for the balcony upon which Long John Silver stood. As it neared, Silver could distinctly make out a faint tinkling, which grew louder and louder as it neared until the thing was practically hovering in front of his face.

"Augh... Be gone, ye hellacious firefly!" he shouted, attempting to swat at it.

But as the frantic chimes reached a crescendo, Silver squinted his eyes, finally realizing what it was he was dealing with.

"A pixie! All the way out here?"

The fairy was making wild gesticulations, her tinkling bells chiming in a panicked cadence as though trying to tell him something. She managed to draw his attention to the eastern stretch of beach, and it was then he caught sight of the commotion. A group of pirates were gathered around a young man, or perhaps more of a boy, who'd apparently washed ashore. Curious, Silver grabbed his crutch and hobbled as quickly as he could to the beach, the fairy flying just ahead of him, beckoning him on encouragingly.

"Ship wreck, ya think?" asked one of the pirates, poking the prone boy with a bit of driftwood.

"Where'dya suppose he be comin' from?"

"Such strange clothes..."

One pirate hovered over the boy for a closer inspection. He brushed the hair away from the boy's ear, only to leap backwards, drawing his sword.

"Ya fools! Don't ya know who this is? It's Peter Pan!"

"PAN!?"

The pirates drew their swords and pistols, pointing them at the unconscious boy.

"Peter Pan?? Here!?"

"If he wakes up, he'll try ta kill us all."

"Let's not give 'im the chance."

"Time ta make ourselves famous, boys..."

But before any of them could make a move against the unconscious Peter, a crack of gunfire came from behind, making them spin around.

"Back up, ye scurvy bilge rats... ye'll won't be harmin' a single hair on the boy's head," said Silver.

This pronouncement from the governor was met with a chorus of disapproval until one of the men shouted, "Silver's right! It be a waste ta' kill 'im! Not when we can hold 'im for ransom! If'n Hook wants Pan, he'll hafta pay a pretty penny for the boy's head."

"Aye," agreed another. "It be a sweet vengeance, won't it? Captain Hook, beggin' us ta hand over the boy he could never catch 'imself. Grovelin' and payin' us just for the chance ta kill Peter Pan!"

The fairy on Silver's shoulder gave a furious chime and flew from one pirate to another, tugging on their ears, pulling their hair, and sticking her tiny dagger into their noses. Despite being quite larger than the pixie, the pirates nonetheless flinched and cried out as she harassed them.

"Bleedin' pixie!"

"Mischievous fae!"

"Kill it!"

The men made a swipe for the fairy. Some even pointed their guns at it.

"Ye'll do well to leave the pixie alone," said Silver, glaring at the men as Tinkerbell darted behind him to safety. "And if'n ya think I'll just be lettin' you do as you would with this lad, yer all bleedin' mistaken. It's not e'vry day Peter Pan washes up on yer shore. It's yer lot that drove Hook away, which only wrought the Sea Witch's ire upon us. Now ye wish ta hold Pan fer ransom ta bring Hook back, do ye? Fools! The lot of ya!"

Some of the men lowered their heads, embarrassed and ashamed. Those without shame continued to protest. Silver, however, was having none of it. Drawing another pistol, he pointed it at the disgruntled pirates.

"I mean ta get to the bottom of this business, and I'd prefer me island ta be kept in peace. The sooner I be gettin' young Master Pan offa me island, the better. You!" he pointed his pistol at one of the men. "Pick up the lad! We'll be takin' im inta me estate. Pan is me own affair now. The rest a'ya... Sod off!"

~~~

As the pale pink light of dawn streamed through the governor's windows, the young boy, who in Silver's estimation, resembled more of a young man, slept soundly. But as the morning's light stretched its golden beams further upon the bed, alighting upon its occupant's face, the young man began to stir. He shot up suddenly, his hair tousled and his shirt, now a loose-fitting white peasant blouse, askew.

"I was just resting my eyes!" he exclaimed as though in defense of some grave error.

Bewildered and disoriented, Peter assessed his surroundings. He was sitting in a soft, four-post canopy bed with silky maroon curtains. And in a chair by the open window sat an old, one-legged sea dog, his crutch leaning against the wall.

"Ah! The wonderful boy finally comes to," he said before taking a swig from a bottle of rum and wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

Peter's hand moved instinctively to his hip, but his belt and sword were gone. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Where am I?"

The old pirate smirked and set the bottle of rum on the window sill. Grabbing his crutch, he hoisted himself to his feet. "Yer in the gov'ner's mansion of Puerto Dorado after washin' ashore on the beach of Isla Tesoro."

Peter furrowed his brow. "Isla Tesoro..." he said slowly. That sounded familiar. There was something important about Isla Tesoro that he was supposed to remember.

"As fer me..." The old pirate placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head to Peter, showing the young man nothing but respect. "I'm the gov'ner. Silver, be the name. _Captain_ Long John Silver, at yer service. And what a humblin' experience it be, ta be in the presence of the legendary figure of Peter Pan."

This introduction did not garner much of a positive reaction from the boy. Eyes narrowing, Peter threw off the covers and leapt to his feet, ready to do battle, sword or no.

"You're a pirate!" he exclaimed. "I-" He stopped abruptly, suddenly panicked as his hand moved to his chest, feeling around for something that was no longer there. "No..." he murmured, his eyes wide with alarm and dismay. "No! Where is it?!"

"Be still, lad. Ye've lost nothin'. If'n ye be searchin' for that shiny green bauble ye had on ya... yer pixie be guardin' it wit' 'er very life."

Silver motioned towards a large vanity. A curious piece of furniture for a pirate. In fact, this room looked as though it might once have belonged to a young woman. Perhaps the former governor's daughter. The room was no longer occupied, but some of the previous owner's belongings remained, one of which was an ornate jewelry box which was currently serving as a luxurious little bed for Tinkerbell, who was fast asleep, clutching the Eye of Neverland in her tiny arms like a pillow.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since her faux pa with Mia, Tinkerbell had taken it upon herself to make it up to Peter in any way possible. She'd insisted on accompanying him on his journey and had done her best to watch over him _and_ the gem.

Gently, Peter trailed his finger along her hair and back. "Hey, Tink."

The pixie opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

"Good work, Tink," said Peter, taking the gem from her. It was attached to a length of silver chain that had once belonged to Wendy.

Peter looped it around his neck, allowing the gem to hang at his chest, exposed within the V of his unlaced peasant blouse. Looking down, he noticed that he wore a completely different ensemble altogether. Aside from the shirt, he wore a pair of loose-fitting black silk pants. Peter was fairly certain that he'd never worn anything quite so fine as silk in all his life.

"Where are my clothes?" he demanded of Silver. "And my weapons?"

"Aye... Yer weapons be in safe keepin' in me own chambers. Though, I'm afraid yer clothes be a different matter. See, whatever happened to ya ta make ya wash ashore here... it looks as if it tore yer leafy tunic asunder. They were beyond salvagin'. It was a wonder ye had any of yer belongin's on ye at all."

Silver leaned on his crutch as he hobbled towards Peter. The young man tensed, as though ready to go on the defensive should Silver's crutch prove to be a clever ruse.

"Speakin' of which... what is it that brings ye here to Puerto Dorado? I can't believe Peter Pan would come ta a known den of piracy on accident. What is it that brings ye so far from Neverland?"

Peter crossed his arms. "What's it to you?" he sneered. "Now give me back my weapons!"

Tinkerbell hovered in front of him, chiming angrily in his face.

"What do you mean I'm being rude?" Peter demanded of the pixie. "He's a pirate! You can't be rude to a pirate!"

But Tinkerbell continued to chastise the boy before flying to Silver and alighting upon his shoulder, crossing her arms and looking quite comfortable there. She sent another few choice tinkles in Peter's direction. Peter glared back at her.

"It seems Tink's taken a liking to you. She says she won't go anywhere with me, that she'll stay with you instead, if I don't thank you for saving me." Slowly, his arms lowered to his sides. "Though I don't really know what she's talking about. You said you found me washed ashore?"

"Aye. She be chimin' the truth, lad. I be the one who done saved yer life. When ye washed ashore, a band of ne'er-do-wells were first ta find ya. They thought of makin' themselves famous, either by killin' ya or keepin' ya fer ransom so that James Hook would pay a pretty penny fer ya."

Peter's mind raced with thoughts. James Hook. Hook... Yes, that's right. Captain Hook. He was supposed to...

"But I be the one who saw to it that none of the like occurred. I had ye brought here, that ye may rest." Silver glanced at Tinkerbell with a smile that was both roguish and somehow grandfatherly. "I suppose that's what she means by me savin' yer life."

But in lieu of a thank-you, recollection dawned on Peter and he exclaimed, "Captain Hook! That's right!" Drawing himself up importantly and speaking with a voice befitting a proper young man, he said, "I've come seeking James Hook. I was told he might be here on this island."

Silver nodded. "Aye. Now it all makes sense." In fact, it seemed fairly obvious now that he really considered it. Why else would Peter Pan come to Isla Tesoro of all places? Of course it was because he sought his mortal enemy.

"It was a long journey here," said Peter, frowning. "I flew the whole way without stopping, even though Tink tried to get me to rest. I remember getting hungry... tired... but I couldn't stop. I had to get here. But then... then... I don't remember much else."

Peter took a seat on the edge of the bed and brought a hand to his forehead.

"I must've blacked out." He shook his head, as though chasing away the remaining cobwebs in his mind. "Look, I appreciate what you've done, but I don't have time for pleasantries." His expression darkened as he rose to his feet. "I must find James Hook."

"An undeterred focus... I respect that, lad. Sadly, yer too late. Jim Hook and the Jolly Roger sailed from 'ere 'bout two weeks past."

"Two weeks?!"

That was longer ago than he had suspected. Poor Mia! How long had she been in the villain's clutches? And what must she think of Peter for taking so long to rescue her? He hated to even consider it.

"Afraid I can't say where he was goin' either. Ya see, he got run out of town. The citizens of Puerto Dorado were afraid that Hook's bein' here would draw unwanted attention from the forces o' darkness. So they chased 'im, 'is crew, and his pretty lass off the island. It was quite the spectacle, m'lad."

"Wait... Pretty lass? You're talking about Mia, aren't you?" Peter drew closer to Silver, grabbing his shoulder, his expression earnest. "You saw her? Was she all right? Was she hurt? Are you sure you don't have any idea where they could have gone?"

"Ah yes... Mia was 'er name, weren't it? I do be believin' so. She somethin' to ye, is she, lad?" Silver chuckled and turned away, hobbling towards the door. "Last I saw of 'er, she was right as rain. Scared, perhaps, but unharmed. As fer where they was headin'... I would say, if'n Hook be lookin' for another pirate safe harbor, ye'd want ta be headin' easterly. Kuala's Cove is yer best bet. However..." And here, Silver's expression turned grim. "It also be possible that the Jolly Roger be sailin' fer The Dark Continent."

He stopped in the doorway of the bedchamber and glanced over his shoulder at Peter with a concerned expression on his heavily lined face.

"Fer the lady's sake... I be hopin' not."

"No!" shouted Peter. "He can't take her there! If he takes Mia _there_ , then..." He chewed his lip as he clutched at the gem hanging around his neck. "I have to leave. I have to find them. I have to rescue her!"

Silver stood in the doorway of the bedchamber, gazing at the young man who was so desperate to be on his way. The old pirate was intrigued, particularly because it seemed to him that Peter Pan cared very much for the girl. Though, judging from what Silver had seen, the girl's feelings were rather torn, and perhaps ultimately claimed by the lad's mortal enemy. However, he opted not to meddle in this affair. Love triangles were a nasty business.

Tinkerbell hovered in front of Peter and let off a concerned series of chimes.

"I don't have time to eat, Tink! I have to-"

The fairy replied with a much sterner series of chimes. Peter averted his gaze and mumbled through his teeth. "I was just tired. I'm better now."

But Tinkerbell glared at him before flying to Silver and tinkling inquiringly at him. Silver certainly didn't speak fairy, but he got the gist well enough.

"Yer pixie seems mighty concerned fer ye, Petey. Perhaps before ye go flyin' off, ye better be regainin' yer strength. 'Sides... I have a little somethin' fer ya."

"Something for me?" asked Peter, unable to keep the suspicion out of his tone. Nevertheless, he followed Silver to a large study, likely what one would consider The Governor's Office. Here, his weapons and pan flute sat upon a desk, as well as a freshly tailored ensemble just for him.

"I had me seamstress cobble ya up somethin' appropriate, since yer tunic was ravaged by the sea," explained Silver, gesturing to the outfit of earthy browns and sandy tans. "Not exactly the green leafy tunic ye once wore... but I hope it'll do ye."

"All right!" Peter exclaimed with boyish glee, already doffing his shirt. But then he hesitated. "Wait... Why are you doing all this for me?" he asked with eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Silver hobbled to the balcony at the back of the office, overlooking the northern shore of the island. "Peter, m'lad... I spent me life actin' as a scoundrel on the high seas of Dizgaia. Pillagin' and plunderin' me stinkin' guts out. But I see the waves of change ahead, Peter. These seas... they don't belong ta pirates anymore. Our time is spent. I'm an old man who, perhaps, is tryin' ta atone fer his sins. I believe troublin' times lie ahead..." He looked back at Peter with a small smile. "Mayhaps I jus' be wantin' to get in good with people on both sides. That way, regardless of how it all turns out, I can be on the winnin' side."

"Now _that_ I believe," said Peter, exchanging his sleepwear for the new rugged earth colored garments - pants, tunic, and even a brown traveling cloak.

Silver's grin widened as he turned his gaze out to sea. "Or, perhaps it tickles me to do somethin' that'll inconvenience Jim."

"Who's Jim?" asked Peter as he stuffed his head through the neck hole of his new tunic. Peter's ignorance to the fact that his mortal enemy might have nickname besides the one that followed his title of 'Captain' went ignored. Silver merely chuckled.

"Jus' keep in mind, Peter Pan, that maybe... not all pirates are that bad."

"They're not that good, either," said Peter, securing his new cloak about his neck.

Tinkerbell gave an admonishing chime and flicked Peter's ear.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing it and glaring at the pixie. "Well... I suppose Tink likes you, and that's good enough for me. Though she _has_ been known to be a bad judge of character."

Tinkerbell flushed bright pink from head to toe, as she issued an embarrassed tinkle.

Silver tilted his head back and let out a boisterous laugh. "Peter Pan... Meetin' ye has been a true pleasure, lad. C'mon..." Silver hobbled from the room - step, clomp, step, clomp - expecting Peter to follow. "Let an old sea dog show ye some more hospitality by gettin' ye fed and gettin' ye some supplies fer yer journey."

Peter smiled. He didn't want to like Silver, but he almost couldn't help it. He followed the old pirate through the manor's scullery where all kinds of delicious smells reached his nose.

"I hope ye do find Hook. At least ta be gettin' that fine young lass out of 'is grasp. Though, be ye warned, Peter Pan... The sea witch was on Hook's trail. Findin' Captain Hook may have ye openin' the door to a whole other world of dangers."

"The sea witch?" Peter exchanged a nervous glance with Tinkerbell. "If any of them find out who Mia really is, then she'll be in grave danger! I don't care what doors I open, Mr. Silver. I _must_ rescue Mia. And with what you've just told me, it would seem my time is running even shorter. Please, Mr. Silver... Give me what you can by way of food to take on my journey, and perhaps a map to this Kuala's Hideout, if you have one. I must be on my way!"

Silver had to admire this fearless quality in the boy. However, her had to wonder if Peter truly had any idea of what troubles awaited him.

"By all means, Peter, m'lad. We'll get ye on yer way. I just might have some of me ol' charts layin' about that might be able to lead ye to Captain Kuala's place. Now, don't' be expectin' any warm welcomes or nothin'. Not every pirate is as hospitable as Long John Silver."

Peter snorted derisively. "You don't have to lecture _me_ about pirates," he said.

"Come, lad," said Silver with a good-humored chuckle. "Let's get ye ready for yer journey!"

Peter followed Silver to begin the final preparations for his departure. Later, with food in his belly and a knapsack filled with food and supplies for his journey, Peter was ready to set out.

"Remember, me boy, this here is Kuala's hideout," said Silver, pointing to an often-overlooked bit of land on the map, a small little island in the northern hemisphere. "And here..." He pointed to a much larger landmass further away. "... be the Dark Continent. I envy ye not, if'n ye have to go there. But if'n ye don't find Hook in Kuala's Cove, then that be the only other place he'd be. If ye find yerself landin' on its shores, I wish ye Godspeed, boy."

The grizzled old sea dog and the young man stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the eastern beach where Peter had washed ashore.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Silver. I have nothing with which to repay you but the promise that if the good guys win, you'll have a place in the world as my friend. But if the bad guys win... Well, I suspect we'll be enemies." Here, Peter gave the old pirate a mischievous smirk. "Lucky for you, the bad guys aren't gonna win. Not so long as I can rescue Miandra Mercurial."

Silver arched an eyebrow at the name, but nothing more was said on the matter. Instead, to Silver immense surprise, the boy, who was now a young man, extended his hand in friendship. Leaning on his crutch, Silver's hand met Peter's, grasping it firmly.

"May luck and prosperity be on yer side, Peter Pan." Then, with a playful smirk, "Do give me warmest regards to our friend, Captain Hook."

"Don't worry," said Peter, patting the hilt of his sword, his expression grim and determined. "I will."

"A pleasure makin' yer acquaintance, it was. You _and_ Miss Bell."

With a final salute to Silver, Peter Pan shot off the balcony and took to the skies. Tinkerbell lingered just long enough to place a tiny, feather-light kiss upon Silver's nose. Silver felt himself lift a couple inches off the balcony before settling once more as the fairy took after her boy.

Peter soared across a cloudless morning sky, heading for the golden horizon with the map Silver gave him clenched tightly in his fist.

_Hang on just a little longer, Mia. I'm coming for you!_

Silver wished Peter well. The coming dangers were not going to be easy for the young man. And Silver knew of them, perhaps, better than Peter would suspect. Silver did rather like Peter Pan. The boy was a far more fascinating person that he would have ever expected.

As Silver leaned on his crutch, watching Peter soar off to his next adventure, a few wisps of smoky black tendrils curled around his foot and crutch. A chilling voice spoke from somewhere beneath him.

"A stirring performance, Captain Silver. I was moved."

Silver's smile faded at the sound of that voice. He replied in a low tone. "I done my part and sent Peter Pan on his path. Now ye make good on yer deal and leave me island at peace in the chaos to come."

From the shadows at the corner of the balcony where the morning sun did not yet reach, a figure with a long face and wide, jagged smile stepped into the light.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear Captain Silver. When I make a deal, I always uphold my end of the bargain. You've done us well, Long John Silver. You'll get what's coming to you."

Slowly, the hooded figure glided past Silver, who looked as though he regretted every moment he spent in the presence of this terrible entity. Long, gray fingers curled over the railing as the figure watched the boy fly off into the horizon.

"I look forward to seeing you again soon... Peter Pandemonium."


	2. The Curse

_If he ever hurts you  
True love won't desert you  
You know I still love you  
Though we touched  
And went our separate ways._

~ "Separate Ways," Journey

A week had passed since Miandra's return home, and Blair was starting to worry. He'd been doing everything in his power to make sure his daughter felt safe and loved; though he wondered if his constant attempts to let her know that he cared were doing more to annoy her than to help her. Mia was depressed; not herself. She rarely left her bed, and despite the doctor's assurances that it shouldn't last for more than a few days, her fever had yet to break.

Often, Blair came into her room to bring Miandra her meals only to find her lying in bed, playing with some golden trinket, something he at first thought was a necklace or a pocket watch. But the moment she detected his presence, Miandra would quickly stuff it beneath her pillow. Whatever it was, she didn't want him to see it. He thought for now it might be best not to pry. With any hope, Miandra would open up to him in time.

This morning was like any other. Blair came to deliver Mia's breakfast, only this time he didn't bother to knock first, hoping to catch a better glimpse of her secret treasure before she had the chance to hide it. But as he entered, there it went, swiftly beneath her pillow. She almost looked guilty, as though it was something she shouldn't have.

Sighing softly to himself, Blair carried the breakfast tray into the room. Today it was eggs, sausage, fresh strawberries from the garden, and a blueberry muffin with a glass of orange juice.

"I thought you might be interested in a bit of breakfast, dear."

"Not particularly," she mumbled.

Blair frowned as he set the breakfast tray on her nightstand.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little better, I guess. Just a headache. And tired."

During the week since she'd returned, many of her friends had come to visit her – Cindy, Snow, and even Naveen and Tiana. But Miandra hadn't been well enough to see them, and even in the moments when she was feeling better, she turned down all visitors. It was as though she just wanted to be left alone with her trinket. Whatever it was, she seemed obsessed with it. Perhaps he _should_ ask her about it. But would she get angry?

"I'm worried about you, dear. This fever of yours should have broken days ago."

"I'm fine, really. Just tired."

Blair could see that Miandra wasn't feeling up to much. Not breakfast, not company. Lately, it seemed like all she wanted to do was be left alone. And all her alone time was spent with this mysterious bauble that she'd apparently obtained during her misadventures.

Blair still didn't know what had happened between her abduction by Peter Pan and her return to Cerenopia via the Vandsgaardian Dreamport. King Eric had reportedly found her aboard the Jolly Roger when Vandsgaard's navy had engaged Captain Hook in battle. But Blair knew nothing of Mia's time spent with the villainous scoundrel. He could only hope she would open up eventually, but at the moment it didn't seem like that day would ever come.

Blair desperately wanted to know what had happened, and on top of that, his curiosity over this secret trinket of hers was beginning to get the better of him. If he flat-out asked her about it, she might get angry. But otherwise, he might never find out. Blair took a seat on the edge of his daughter's bed.

"Miandra... um... I just want you to know that... that you... uh, that is, if something is troubling you... Well, if you ever need to talk, you know, about anything... anything at all... you know I'll always listen. I'm here for you, dear. No matter what."

Mia didn't feel much like talking with anyone, not even her father. But she knew how troubled he was. She could see the worry in his eyes. With a sigh, she forced herself to smile, feeling its slow, pitiful journey across her lips.

"I know, Dad. I just don't have anything to talk about." She grabbed the muffin from the bedside table, took a bite of it, and then set it back before rolling onto her side, putting her back to him. Mia closed her eyes, pretending to go to sleep, not wanting him to see her cry. Wanting him to go away, and yet... and yet very much wanting him near.

Blair frowned and brought a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it awkwardly as his gaze trailed across the floor. This was getting him nowhere. Perhaps he needed to be more direct.

Summoning his courage, he said, "Miandra... I couldn't help but notice... Well, I thought I saw something in your hand a moment ago. Did King Eric and Queen Ariel give you something?"

Mia tried to contain her panic. He'd seen it! Her father had seen the compass! How many times might he have caught a glimpse of it, only to ask about it now? At the very least, it seemed as though he hadn't caught enough of a glimpse to know what it truly was. She couldn't tell him that she'd taken it from Hook. He'd want to know how and why. He'd want to know how she could have managed to steal something from Captain Hook, and why Hook would have let his guard down. Her father could never know of the romance between she and James Hook.

"It's... It's nothing," she stammered. "Just... Just something I found."

Blair detected a hint of anxiety in her voice. This seemed to be something of a touchy subject, especially since she was being so dismissive. But now he couldn't help but prod a little further.

"Something you found? While you were on Neverland?"

Despite Blair's concern, he was intrigued by this notion and eager at the chance to possibly study what she possessed. He was itching to get a good look at it.

"If it's something from Neverland, perhaps it has some faint traces of magical properties," he continued. "If you'd allow it, we could always study it and see if it might have direct ties to the island itself."

Mia chewed her lip. Damn it, why did her father have to be so damn curious? Curse his scientific mind! Now, thinking it had come from Neverland, he wanted to study it! On the one hand, Mia was almost inclined to let him. After all, she loved seeing how excited he could get when presented with a project or gizmo. Furthermore, the compass supposedly pointed the way to Neverland. It might be interesting to see how exactly it worked, and maybe they could finally develop an official method of tracking the elusive island. But on the other hand, she didn't want to share it.

Mia knew it was selfish of her, but she saw it as her private treasure, one which she'd taken from Hook as a reminder not only of him, but as a way to find Neverland – by herself, if she were to be honest. It was special, and it was something that, perhaps, the larger world should not have access to. After all, Neverland was elusive for a reason. That's what made it special; the fact that it wasn't easy to find.

_Then what right do_ you _have to keep it, Mia?_ the small voice of her conscience chastised her.

Mia pushed the thought back down from where it came and replied, "It's not from Neverland."

This was the truth. But now would he guess where she'd gotten it? Maybe, maybe not. But Mia refused to give him the chance.

"Look, Dad. I appreciate everything you're doing, but I'm tired. Could you maybe let me rest?" With that, she pulled the covers up over her head and blocked him out.

And just like that, Blair's hopes that an opportunity for them to do something together, that studying a possible magical artifact might bring his daughter out of her funk, was quickly shut down. And furthermore, Mia firmly requested that he let her rest. Blair felt like a balloon that had lost all of its air. Just a wimpy, limp little scrap tossed by the wayside by a child who'd lost interest.

"Of course, dear," he said softly, rising to his feet. "If you don't have your strength... well, you don't have much of anything, I suppose."

Mia could hear the disappointment in his voice and immediately felt bad. But what else could she do? She couldn't let him see it. A compass... he'd know where it came from. And the initials engraved on the back, JAS. H., would be a dead giveaway. Then her father would want explanations; explanations Mia wasn't willing to give.

Blair hesitated in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder at Mia. "Get better, sweetheart. Everyone's worried about you." He stepped through the door, murmuring a soft, "I love you, Miandra," before closing it behind him.

From beneath the covers, Mia held the compass in her hand. When her bedroom door shut, her hand closed around the small, golden trinket.

"I love you, too, Dad," she said quietly, although her father was long gone. "I'm sorry."

She brought her hand to her cheek, feeling the coolness of the compass against her skin, and cried.

~~~

The following two days were very much the same as any other. Blair feared things were looking rather bleak for Miandra, both physically and emotionally. He feared he was losing his daughter, not to some fatal illness – surely her fever would pass – but to a case of depression so acute as to become chronic, that she might never be the same again. But he never anticipated that things might get worse.

One evening Blair was reading by the fire, or at least he was trying to. He was so concerned for Miandra's well-being that even reading a book late into the night had lost some of its appeal. He could swear he'd read the same sentence at least 20 times when the grandfather clock struck half-past midnight, startling him from his trance. Blair closed his book and put out the fire, ready for bed. But first, he undertook his nightly ritual of checking on Miandra.

Slowly and quietly, he opened the door and crept softly to her bed. She didn't look well. Blair was certain that she should have gotten over this fever by now, and yet she still seemed to suffer. Carefully, he leaned over the bed to examine her closer.

Mia hardly stirred at her father's approach, but her sleep was anything but restful. She tossed and turned, moaning and whimpering in her sleep. She was paler than usual, and she seemed to be having something of a fever dream.

"J-James... D-Don't take me there... P-Please..."

_James?_ Blair arched a curious, if not concerned, eyebrow. Who was James? She couldn't possibly mean... Blair winced. Just _what_ had happened during her time in Neverland? Or, rather, what had happened _after_ Neverland? He was almost afraid to find out.

Miandra's head tossed back and forth on her pillow as though in silent protest, her hair whipping back and forth. "No... Dad... Dad, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Then, she began to cry softly in her sleep.

Blair frowned as he took a seat upon the edge of her bed. He brought his hand to her hot forehead, then slowly trailed his fingers through her hair as he hummed a soothing tune. Sensing his presence, Mia fell into an easier sleep.

The door creaked open softly and Figment fluttered in, holding a damp washrag. It seemed he was still minding his duties to his young mistress. He placed the rag gently across her forehead and curled up beside her in bed.

"Will she be all right, Dreamfinder?" he asked softly, gazing at Blair with big yellow eyes full of concern.

"I certainly hope so, Figment. Honestly, I'm not sure why she's not better already. I thought for certain she'd be past this by now." He leaned down and whispered softly to his daughter. "Please, Miandra... Please get better."

Blair went to bed that night with a mind full of worry. Sleep didn't exactly come easy. Nevertheless, he awoke bright and early the next morning, reluctantly leaving Miandra in Figment's charge as he returned to work for the first day since Mia's return. He had a big project to oversee for some junior level Imagineers. Thus, Blair spent most of the morning in the Imageworks Lab, supervising the team.

The project was going along splendidly in spite of Blair's constant ruminations over his sick daughter when suddenly the door to the Imageworks Lab was thrown open and Dr. Channing flew in, looking distressed. This in itself was not necessarily unusual, except that he went directly to Blair and began muttering frantically in his ear.

"There's a man here – a sailor, by the looks of him. He's in the lobby demanding to see you. He's raving like an absolute lunatic! Security is keeping him at bay, but he's proving to be a bit of a challenge. He says he has a message to deliver to you, and he says, of all things, that his life is forfeit if he doesn't deliver the message! I _do_ hate to bother you, but perhaps if you were at least to come out and talk to him, it would calm him down long enough for the proper authorities to arrive."

"That's certainly peculiar," mused Blair. "Well, I wouldn't want this man's life on my hands. Would you mind looking after the group while I'm gone?" Blair didn't give Nigel the chance to reply as he departed, leaving the junior level imagineers in Dr. Channing's capable hands.

Quickly, Blair hurried to the front lobby of the institute where he saw security doing their best to keep a ragged and frightened sailor calm and steady. As Blair arrived, he called out to the security guards.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I'll take care of it from here. I understand this man has come to see me. And from the looks of it, he's come a long way."

The security guards exchanged nervous glances. "Are you certain, Professor? This man is clearly unstable."

And they weren't entirely wrong. The sailor, his clothes ragged and his face pale but for the smudges of dirt, and hopefully not blood, was fighting to get through, looking like a rabid animal as he shouted across the lobby.

"I won't leave until I've passed on my message! Don't you understand what I'm telling you? If I don't deliver it, I can never go to sea again for fear of my life! I'm a merchant by trade! Sailing is my livelihood!"

But the security guards were pushing him back towards the doors, and already Blair could see police vehicles arriving just outside the institute. The sailor waved a rolled-up piece of parchment at Blair.

"You! You're the Dreamfinder, right? Please! I beg of you! Take the message! It's about your daughter!"

Blair was curious, but upon hearing the message was about Miandra, he immediately went on his guard. Cautiously, he approached.

"Pardon me, sir, but what do you know of my daughter? What's this all about? If you don't mind telling me, who has given you this message to deliver?"

After Mia's most recent ordeal, Blair didn't think she needed more stress to deal with. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, and quickly, and preferably without involving Miandra.

The man's face paled as though recalling some terrible memory. "F-Five days ago, me and my crew were sailing to Paridon for their annual fair. We t-travel to sell our wares, you see. On our way, w-we encountered the Jolly Roger. When H-H-Hook discovered I hail from C-Cerenopia, he insisted I d-deliver this message."

Blair's eyes widened. "Jolly Roger? Hook!?"

"He was going to have our ship s-sunk if I didn't agree. And he said if he learned I didn't deliver it, and if he ever encountered me at sea again, h-he'd..." The sailor gulped and shook his head violently. "Oh, for God's sake, Professor!" he cried, shoving the rolled-up piece of parchment at him. "Take it! Please!"

Hesitantly, Blair took the letter into his hands and read silently to himself.

_To he who calls himself The Dreamfinder,_

_It is my sincere hope that this message finds you well. Though we be on opposing sides of this world's conflict, there is one common interest we share – the welfare of your daughter, Miandra._

Blair paused. Captain James Hook cared about Miandra's well-being? Blair was already not liking the implications of this. Reluctantly, he continued reading.

_During her time aboard my vessel, I fear Miandra may have been exposed to a cursed weapon that was accidentally discharged during our battle with Vandsgaard. It was a weapon designed to poison those with inherent magical abilities; a 'Magic Killer,' if you will. If Miandra was indeed exposed to this weapon upon discharge, I fear her latent magical qualities may serve as a breeding ground for this poison, making her a perfect host for the curse._

Blair's hands trembled as he read through the letter. Miandra was cursed! A slow sickness was beginning to course its way through her system. This was the reason her fever refused to go away! A slow-acting curse was making her sicker and sicker, all because of her latent magical abilities! She was _his_ daughter, after all. Blair grit his teeth and forced himself to read through the rest of the letter.

_It was never meant for her. I never wished for her to come into contact with it. Despite our personal differences, I am bound by my good form and my personal concern for your daughter to inform you of this unfortunate circumstance. For Miandra's sake, I hope I am wrong. But if I am not, I strongly advise you to take swift action. I know of your connections to those who study the magical arts. They, if not you, should have the means to counter this curse._

_I only hope that this message finds you in time to keep the Magic Killer from doing its worst to Miandra._

_With my deepest and most sincere apologies,_

_JAS Hook_

_Captain_

Blair's eyes were wide. This was too much to process. This business with Captain Hook seemed almost preposterous to him. However, this was a distant second to his primary concern.

"Miandra!" He glanced at the security guards in a panic. "I'm sorry... I have to go!"

Blair darted out the doors, nearly colliding with a local law enforcement authority.

"Professor Mercurial! We received a call from the Institute. What's going on?"

"The trouble for which you've been called is no longer an issue," he replied. "But I need you to drive me home. Quickly!"

Upon his return, Blair ran for the front door. His fingers had barely brushed the knob when the door flew open and Figment slammed face-first into his chest.

"Oof!"

"Figment!"

This certainly seemed to be the day for collisions.

"Dreamfinder! Thank goodness! I was just coming to get you! Please, you have to hurry!" Figment's tone was unusually panicked. "Something's wrong with Miandra!"

"Inside, Figment! Hurry now!"

Though he'd been forewarned, both by Hook's letter and now by Figment, nothing prepared him for what he saw. As Blair stepped into the kitchen, he found Miandra collapsed upon the floor, her long auburn hair splayed out across the wooden floorboards and her arm outstretched towards a broken teacup that had shattered when she fell. She was pale, and she wasn't moving.

"My God... Miandra!" Blair ran to his daughter and took her into his arms. She was still breathing. That, at least, was good. But her heartbeat was faint. Oh so faint. The magic killer was working its way through her.

Figment sat on the floor beside them, his yellow eyes wide with fear and concern for his young mistress. He felt utterly helpless until Blair gave him a task, and an important one at that.

"Figment! Call the MediMergency line! Tell them it's a magical malady and to get here right away! HURRY NOW!"

Nodding vigorously, Figment shot off into the sitting room, muttering, "MediMergency line... MediMergency line... Gotta call the MediMergency line!"

Blair held Mia in his lap, rocking her gently. "Miandra... Oh, my sweet Miandra... Please... Please hold on!"

Sirens blared through the streets of Epcot and emergency lights shone upon the house on Tomorrow Hill. It all felt horrifyingly familiar to Blair, for it reminded him of another time long ago, and yet not so long ago... Another time when death had attempted to take his infant daughter from him. He had kept her safe then... But could he save her now?

Blair's fingers trailed tenderly through Miandra's hair, hoping to get a response out of her, but his daughter remained as still as a corpse.

"My darling daughter... Oh please... Please be okay!"

~~~

Just on the edge of consciousness, everything had a sort of hazy, dreamlike quality. Mia remembered the sounds of sirens and her father's voice pleading with her, begging her to hang on. Confused, Mia tried to answer him, but her lips couldn't seem to form the words. She felt as though she were paralyzed, and it frightened her. Worst of all, her father didn't seem to even realize she was conscious, causing Mia to wonder if perhaps she was, in fact, asleep and this was all just some strange dream.

She seemed to go back and forth between unconscious and vaguely conscious. Whenever she opened her eyes, she was constantly met with some strange, new scene. Her father's face, the inside of what appeared to be an ambulance, bright fluorescent lights. But the final scene was the most frightening.

When last she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed, dressed in a thin, white gown. Surrounding her on all sides of the bed were people in red cloaks with the hoods pulled up so she couldn't see their faces. Each cloak had a large white cross at the front and the back, reminding her of something from Earth, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. All she could think was that somehow the colors were wrong... inverted.

Despite the vaguely familiar symbol, Mia was anything but comforted. She was terrified. Who were these people? Why were they hovering over her? And what was that in their hands? It almost looked like glowing crystals. Some sort of magical artifact? She watched as the crystals, a pure, pulsing white at first, gradually turned a discomforting green, as though they were somehow filling up with toxic smoke. Green smoke! Now _that_ was familiar! And that was never good, and neither was the strange feeling of pain and nausea coursing through her body.

Mia let out a strangled cry and tried to sit up, but she was too weak. All she could do was scream and call out for help. The figure closest to her reached out a hand and placed it against her forehead, with the thumb and index finger pressing gently against her temples. In spite of her every instinct telling her not to, Mia immediately relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

Blair paced back and forth in the waiting room of the Magical Maladies Ward. To think that the last time he'd been at Epcot General Hospital was for Miandra's birth. Now, he was here once more, but this time in the hopes of saving his teenage daughter's life. Although he may be a high-profile person and well-versed in magical arts himself, he was no medic, and so he could do nothing but wait, hope, and pray as the medical staff worked their counter-curses and magical remedies. All he wanted was for his Miandra to be safe, sound, and healthy. And right now, she was none of those things.

As Blair paced anxiously, a familiar voice called to him. "Professor Mercurial!"

When he looked up, he saw Agent Mortimer Royo walking towards him. This evening, he was not wearing his usual red robe and black suit. Instead, he was in his civilian's clothes, semi-casual but still looking smart in a gray blazer and matching pants.

"Agent Royo," said Blair, ceasing his anxious pace. "I didn't realize you'd been called to handle this."

"Well, magical maladies aren't exactly my specialty," he admitted. "But the AMPA is responsible for disposing of Siphoning Crystals whenever they're used. Though I will gladly offer any other service, if I can be of use. Any word on Miandra's condition?"

"I'm afraid I'm not certain yet," said Blair. "They've been working on her for the better part of an hour. Whatever this curse is that has befallen her, it must be a powerful one." Blair gazed out the window, half obscured by Venetian blinds. "I don't understand why this should happen to her! She's still young! She shouldn't be in this sort of danger!"

"You're a high-profile individual, Professor. Your name and deeds are well-known across the globe, and now your long-lost daughter, a potential dreamfinder in her own right, has returned. I would honestly find it surprisingly were she not in danger."

Royo moved closer to Blair, joining him in front of the window.

"Blarion, other branches of the AMPA within the 10 Kingdoms have been reporting increasing levels of activity from the Dark Ones. And there seems to be a strong correlation between this and your daughter's return." Lowering his voice, he said, "Have you perhaps considered placing her in a sort of witness protection program? She could be given a new identity, placed under the AMPA's protection. Perhaps relocated..."

Blair shook his head adamantly. "With all due respect, Agent Royo... I already let my daughter go once. I will not be letting that happen again. The day when I can't properly protect my family will be the day that I've completely failed all those I love." He turned his gaze back out the window, speaking softly. "Though... I'm beginning to wonder if I haven't already failed her." Blair reached into his pocket for the letter from James Hook and handed it to Agent Royo.

Royo took the parchment offered to him. His eyes moved back and forth over the page as he read the letter silently to himself. Finally, he handed it back to Blair.

" _That,_ Professor Mercurial, is _very_ intriguing. Very intriguing indeed. It would seem your daughter has made some interesting but dangerous friends." Crossing his arms, Royo gazed out the window. "Please do not think me out of line, Professor, when I say that Miandra is a lovely and charismatic young woman. It would seem those attributes are not lost on others, not even the Dark Ones themselves. But she is also young and very naïve. _That_ , needless as it may be to tell _you_ , Professor, is a dangerous concoction. It could lead her into trouble, and that letter is evidence to that fact."

Blair nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Royo spoke true. Miandra was as lovely as her mother, and as personable as he ever was. But she was also young and naïve, things he was all too well aware of.

"And yet..." Royo turned back to face Blair. "It is also proof that she has managed to win the favor of one of Dizgaia's most notorious ne'er-do-wells. If Miandra has inherited your compassion the way she has inherited your spark, then it is possible she has the power to reach the hearts of those who would otherwise be our enemies. And who knows... She may have the power to turn the tide in this eternal conflict we face."

_It's true,_ thought Blair. Miandra might be a force to be reckoned with... or she could be a magnet for trouble. As her father, Blair wasn't sure how he felt about either scenario.

Royo's expression turned grim. "But I would strongly advise discouraging further communication between her and James Hook, lest we forget just how treacherous that man can be." The AMPA agent placed a reassuring hand on Blair's shoulder. "But I know I do not need to tell you that."

"Of course," said Blair tersely, making a conscious effort not to shrug off Royo's hand. "That is something I most certainly do _not_ need advising on."

Blair knew it was a well-known tragedy amongst all of Dizgaia of how his wife had taken Miandra and left him for Earth through an early prototype of the Dreamports. How he could have foreseen or prevented that, Blair did not know. But did people judge him for it? Did Royo, did _everyone,_ perhaps think him incapable of protecting his daughter? Had the recent business with Peter Pan kidnapping Miandra cement this idea in their minds? Or was he just being paranoid?

Royo looked as though he wished to say something else on the matter, but hesitated as one of the magical malady specialists entered the room.

"Professor Mercurial?"

"Yes?" Blair asked, starting forward in a panic. "My daughter! How is she? Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes," said the doctor. "She's going to be all right. Our top magical malady experts were able to perform a counter-spell to siphon the poison out of her. Her magical abilities are still somewhat latent, so the magic-killing curse took longer to cycle through her body than it would someone with more, shall we say, _active_ magical abilities."

Blair sighed with relief.

"Still," said the doctor, "You brought her to us just in time. A little longer and we would've been helpless to cure her. And without your quick thinking, Professor, it could have taken us another hour or more just to diagnose the problem."

Royo exchanged a look with Blair, before glancing pointedly at the letter still clutched in Blair's hand. "It would seem we owe the captain your daughter's life," he said. "A dangerous situation to find ourselves in, and yet... a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark soul. Perhaps he is not so far gone after all."

"While I am grateful to him for telling me of my daughter's malady, I don't believe I'm quite ready to be sending the captain a thank-you card any time soon," said Blair darkly.

The doctor glanced between Blair and Royo, clearly befuddled. "Um, anyway, your daughter is very weak and was rather frightened when she awoke. It is understandable, but also not good for her to get so upset in her current condition. Therefore, we've placed her under a magically induced sleep for the time being. She should awaken in an hour or so. You may go in and see her if you like."

Royo gave Blair's shoulder a squeeze. "That's good news, Blair. Take care of that daughter of yours. In the meantime, you'll be pleased to hear that the AMPA is tightening security around Cerenopia. We hadn't exactly anticipated flying teenage boys to be a threat, but given this most recent situation, it seems we may just have to take that into consideration."

"Thank you, Agent Royo," said Blair. "For everything."

Royo turned to the doctor and showed his badge. "Agent Mortimer Royo of the AMPA. I'll need to be collecting your used Siphoning Crystals."

"Of course. Right this way, Agent Royo," said the doctor, leading him to a sealed waste basket which read, _Biohazard_.

A nurse led Blair into the room where Miandra was sleeping. Blair took a seat in the chair at her bedside.

"Oh, my darling daughter... My greatest, sweetest dream..." He took Mia's hand in his, holding it tightly.

Mia hardly stirred at his presence. She was in a deep, magically induced sleep. And yet, it was reassuring to see her sleeping so soundly. Since her return home, her sleep had been anything but peaceful. Every night when he peeked in to check on her, Miandra's sleep seemed disturbed, troubled. She tossed and she turned and mumbled incoherently. But now, her chest rose and fell with gentle, rhythmic breathing, and her face was as peaceful as an angel's.

The doctor thought it best not to release Miandra until the following morning. They wished to monitor her and make absolutely certain her malady had been completely eradicated before discharging her. And so, Blair stayed in the chair beside her bed throughout the night. He was just beginning to doze off when suddenly Miandra's distressed cries awoke him.

"DAD!" she shouted, bolting upright in bed and glancing wildly about her.

Blair's eyes snapped open. Any notion of sleep instantly fled his mind. "Miandra! Sweetheart! It's okay, it's okay! Your father is right here."

Mia spun towards him. Despite having just cried out for her father, Mia seemed confused when she looked at him, as though she didn't entirely recognize him.

"Everything is all right, Miandra. You're safe now. I promise."

Finally, her memory returned to her and Mia leapt out of bed and threw herself into her father's arms, the way she should have the day she returned from Vansgaard through the Dreamport.

"Dad!" she cried. "I-I had this t-terrible dream! I-I was sick and I... I couldn't move. It was like I was drugged or something! And then these hooded figures were hovering over me, like some kind of cult! It was horrible!"

Blair wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. "It's all right, dear," he said, running his hand through his daughter's hair. "It all over now. I wish I could tell you that it _was_ all just a dream, but I'm afraid it wasn't. You were inflicted with a curse, Miandra. One designed to slowly kill anyone with inherent magical abilities. You're in the Magical Maladies ward at the hospital. Those hooded people were MediMages, essentially magical doctors. They helped rid your body of the curse. They're no one to be frightened of."

"A... A curse? But who cursed me? How could I..." She trailed off as realization dawned on her. "That weird cannonball... it gave off this strange green smoke and I... I breathed some of it in. I've been sick ever since. That must've been..." Mia hesitated, looking at her father. "But how did you know?"

Blair's mind went to the letter from James Hook, hidden safely within his pocket. Much as it pained him to keep things from his own daughter, Blair found himself faced with the difficult decision that all fathers must make at some point in time – whether to tell the truth or to tell a lie to keep their daughter safe.

What, ultimately, would be the harm in telling her of Hook's letter? But then again, if Miandra got it into her head that Hook had somehow, with the flip of a switch, become a good guy and left behind his villainous ways due to some capricious, fairytale notion of love for her, who knew what hasty, impulsive decisions she might make? Agent Royo was absolutely correct. Even if it was somehow possible that Hook might have some good in him, to keep Miandra safe, Blair must keep the rugged scoundrel out of her mind. Thus, he did what any father would do in this situation. He fibbed... a little.

"When you've been dealing with magic, both good and evil, for as long as I have, dear, you learn a few things. I was beginning to recognize the symptoms. Figment, however, was the one who alerted me when you succumbed to the Magic Killer Curse. He saved you, Miandra."

"Oh," said Mia. "In that case, it seems I owe Figgy my life."

Blair unsuccessfully suppressed a wince, but Miandra didn't notice, for she was glancing around the room.

"Where _is_ Figment, anyway?"

"Figment? Well, uh, he's..." Blair had been so worried about his daughter that he had quite forgotten about his dragon.

As if in response, there was a rapping against the window. Blair rose up and opened the window.

"Figment! There you are!"

The little dragon fluttered into the room, holding a small bouquet of wildflowers in his fist. "They won't let me through the front," he said sullenly. "They say, 'No pets allowed.' I tried to tell them I'm not a pet. But would they listen? Nooo..."

"Figment!" exclaimed Mia.

The dragon's big yellow eyes moved towards his young mistress. "Miandra! You're all right!" He shot towards her and Mia caught him in her arms.

"Oh, Figgy! Are these for me?" she asked, glancing at the wildflowers.

Figment nodded exuberantly. "Yep! I picked them myself!"

And it showed. Bits of dirt and tiny roots still clung to the bottoms of the stems.

"Uh, thanks, Figment. That was, uh, really sweet of you," said Mia, passing them to her father.

"I'll see about finding a vase," said Blair, glancing around. But when the room came up empty for a vase, Blair shrugged and conjured his own, placing the flowers inside. He set the vase on the bedside table.

"Figment, I was just telling Miandra how you came and told me that she was unwell; about how you saved her."

The little dragon blinked his big yellow eyes at the Dreamfinder. "I did?" he asked. Then, tilting his head thoughtfully, he smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah! I suppose I did. When you fell and wouldn't get back up, I got really worried, Miandra. I set off to find the Dreamfinder right away."

"Thanks, Figgy," said Mia, patting Figment's head. "I owe you one."

Just then, there came a knock at the door.

"Figgy, quick! Hide!" said Mia, stuffing Figment beneath her pillow.

"Oof! Well, okay," came his muffled voice. "But this seems a silly time for hide-and-seek."

"Shh," Mia hissed.

Blair stifled a small laugh as he called to the person at the door. "Come in."

The door opened and a nurse entered. "Miss Mercurial," she said, looking surprised. "I'm glad to see you're awake and feeling better." She slipped a thermometer under Mia's tongue and checked her pulse. "Your vitals are stable. But you still need your rest. Perhaps it would be best if your father went home for the night."

"No! Please," begged Mia, suddenly all a panic. "Couldn't he stay with me? Please?" She glanced at her father. "You... You don't mind, do you? Staying, I mean."

"Well, I..."

Her eyes were pleading with him; eyes that were still very much afraid and didn't want him to leave. They were the sort of eyes a father cannot deny, filled with a love and desire for paternal affection, whose beckon call every father dreams of answering. It was the look that he wished he could have seen before. It had taken some time, but there it was. He had his daughter back.

"With all due respect, madam," Blair said to the nurse. "My daughter has recently been through some very trying experiences. I believe it would be best if I remain by her side. After all..." Blair drew himself up importantly as his eyes narrowed with a stern and serious determination. "By the authority of The Order of Yensid, it is my duty to see that my daughter is safe and protected at this time."

Mia arched an eyebrow at her father as he name-dropped the famous and well-respected magical society to which he belonged. Man, her father sure was pulling out the big guns to get his way.

The nurse pursed her lips. "I assure you that this hospital, and particularly this ward, has every protection available to it. But very well," she relinquished. "I suppose I can understand. Just please make sure that the young miss gets some sleep. She needs it."

"Of course, Madam," Blair assured her. "I have every intention of it."

With that, the nurse was on her way, closing the door behind her.

Mia lifted the pillow off of Figment. "Whew. That was close."

The door opened once more and Mia shoved the pillow back on top of Figment, grinning guiltily at the nurse.

"Lights out, Miss Mercurial."

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

The nurse flipped the light switch and the room went dark but for a small glowing crystal on the bedside table that not only kept the room from sinking into complete darkness, but also gave off a sterile sort of smell mixed with another scent; a faint hint of lilac to match the color of its glow.

Smiling softly, Blair settled back into his chair. "I'm not going anywhere, Miandra. But the nurse is right. You need your rest. So it would be best if you got some sleep. But I'll be here, as will Figment."

Reassured by her father's promise to stay, Mia nestled beneath the covers. Always eager for a snuggle, Figment joined her. She held him in her arms as she rested her head against the pillow.

"Dad," she said softly. "Will you sing to me?"

Figment poked his head out from beneath the covers, "Oh yes, Dreamfinder! Sing us a lullaby! You always sang the best lullabies when Miandra was a baby!"

At first, Blair was a little embarrassed by their request. "A lullaby? Well... I haven't sung a lullaby since... Well, you see, I don't know if..."

Mia gazed up at her father with hazel eyes which sparkled in the dim crystal-light. In that moment, it was easy to see how his beautiful daughter, with eyes so bright, could beguile even a villain like James Hook. It was enough to make a father sick, and yet... those eyes were for him and him alone. Those eyes were for her father. He could not refuse her. She could quite literally get him to do anything if she gave him the right look. It wasn't fair, this power she had over him. And yet, wasn't this something he'd always wanted? A chance to sing his daughter to sleep after having been denied the opportunity for so many years?

"I think I know just the one," said Blair, smiling fondly. "It's one that your great-grandmother, Ortensia, used to sing to me when I was just a boy." Blair's hand came to his daughter's head, his fingers trailing gently through her hair as he began to sing.

"Just an ordinary day  
All at once you're on your way  
To a place that cannot be  
No one knows what turns the key.

You have found a thousand eyes  
Whirling images arise  
For a moment they are clear  
In a flash they disappear..."

Mia listened to her father's voice. This was the first time she'd heard him truly sing, aside from that cute One Little Spark ditty. But that one was silly. This was something softer, more serene, and beautiful. A true lullaby.

It struck Mia that this may have been something Blair might have sung to her when she was a baby, and something he might have continued to sing to her before bed when she was a toddler or a little girl, had she been given the opportunity to grow up in Dizgaia. In fact, she often had to remind herself; although for her, 19 years had passed, in Blair's reality, it wasn't all that long ago that she'd been a baby. If she had stayed in Dizgaia, how old might she be now? Only six? Eight? Ten? Something about the time difference unsettled her, but her mind soon quieted as her father's voice, combined with his powers, began to paint literal imagery above her head.

In a swirl of soft rainbow light, dream-like images appeared above them, painting a picture of the lyrics he sang. Was he doing this on purpose or was it just coming naturally? One way or the other, it was like the entire hospital room was a theater for Blair's magic eye.

"Magic Journeys  
Mystic flights  
On the wings of unexpected sounds and sights  
Magic Journeys...  
Are they real?  
Do they mirror what we think or sense or feel?

Neither dreaming,  
nor pretending  
No beginning,  
and no ending..."

Fluffy white clouds shaped like white stallions were running in place in the air above her head. Then, there were fluttering butterflies and dandelions blowing in a phantom breeze. Mia dreamily reached out her hand, but her fingers only moved through them. She lowered her arm and watched the magical imagery play out before her in rhythm to her father's strong, soothing baritone.

"You are splashing in the stream  
Of an un-remembered dream  
You are searching through the eye  
Of a seeker in the sky."

Mia watched with sleepy eyes the imagery which played out within a hazy, shimmering window of rainbow colors, almost as though she were looking through a portal to another world. The images took on a new shape, that of a babbling brook, and then a palomino Pegasus flying through the sky with a girl who curiously resembled Mia astride it's back.

"You are riding on the winds  
Where the universe begins  
Through the atoms that repose  
In the heartbeat of a rose."

Finally, there was a blooming rose with an infinite number of petals, all folding back to reveal more and more petals until Mia felt as though she were a small bumblebee living within its folds.

The imagery continued to change with every lyric, all surrounded by a soft, rainbow halo. Mia could see that her father could do truly marvelous things. There truly was no other person like Blarion Mercurial, like the Dreamfinder.

"Magic Journeys  
Mystic flights  
On the wings of unexpected sounds and sights  
How we travel  
Why we go  
Is a secret we will never, never know..."

Her father continued to sing, and though the imagery continued to play before Mia's eyes, she could no longer keep them open. To her, it almost seemed as though her father was putting her into a trance. But she didn't mind. It was relaxing and she felt safe and warm with Figment in her arms and her father sitting by her bedside, his fingers running soothingly through her hair.

"Neither dreaming,  
nor pretending  
No beginning,  
And no ending  
No beginning,  
And no ending..."

With a soft sigh, Mia's eyes fluttered shut and she soon joined her little dragon in the sweet embrace of a deep, healing sleep. Slowly, the swirling images above faded, and Blair leaned over his daughter, placing a soft kiss against her forehead.

"Sleep well, my dear," he whispered softly. "May all of your Magic Journeys take place inside the sweetest of dreams."

~~~

Mia reclined in the bathtub, covered from neck to toe in lavender scented bubbles. She held the golden compass by its chain, watching as it swung left and right, as though attempting to hypnotize her, or perhaps tease her with the way to Neverland, the direction only she knew. It only now occurred to her that the man whose initials were engraved on the back could not return to Neverland without this compass. And so, were she to return herself, he would not be there waiting for her.

James Hook was far beyond her now, perhaps lost to her forever. And the only person who remained on the island was a boy who would have forgotten her name. Mia barely managed to choke back a sob. It would not do for her father or Figment to hear her crying in the bathroom. Her father would respond with a concerned knock, and Figment, in his childish naivety, would simply fly in, asking what was wrong.

As though her thoughts had summoned him, there came a sudden rapping upon the bathroom door. The compass slipped out of Mia's hand and nearly plummeted into the water, but she caught it just in time.

"Miandra, honey? Are you all right?"

"Jesus, Dad!" she exclaimed from the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to alarm you. It's just that you've been in there forever. I wouldn't want you to turn into a prune, sweetheart. Perhaps it's time to come out."

"May I remind you I'm nine _teen_ , not _nine_?"

_Oh man..._ That sounded horrible.

Sighing, she called, "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm fine. Really. I'll be out in a minute, okay?"

Blair arched an eyebrow at the door. Mia had been so on edge lately. After her frightening excursion to the hospital, he was happy to have his daughter home at last. But ever since he'd gotten her back home, she very quickly slipped back into her depressed funk. More often than not, she wanted to be left alone. Whatever had happened to her during her Neverland adventure still weighed heavily on her mind, and he couldn't help but fear that perhaps Peter Pan – or, God forbid, Captain Hook – might somehow be responsible.

After draining the bath water and drying herself off, Mia donned her pajamas and wrapped a towel around her hair like a turban. Certain that her overprotective father was still standing outside the bathroom for fear she might somehow manage to drown, she slipped the compass into the pocket of her pajama pants. Then, taking a deep breath and trying to act casual, Mia opened the bathroom door and stepped out, accompanied by a thick cloud of steam. Sure enough, her father was there waiting for her.

"Miandra, dear, I didn't mean to hurry you along," he said apologetically. "It's just that... well, I made some hot cocoa. I thought perhaps you'd like to have a mug with me. Figment's already helped himself."

Mia smiled. She may still be depressed, but ever since her frightening trip to the Magical Maladies ward and her father's unfaltering determination to remain by her side throughout the whole ordeal, she always managed a smile for him, even if it was forced.

"No apology necessary, Dad," she said, taking the hot cocoa from him. "And thanks."

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before taking her mug. Blair smiled fondly at his daughter. Lately, Miandra always seemed to have a smile for him. However, she seemed just as quick to retreat into her bedroom, as she did now. In Blair's opinion, she'd been spending far too much time in there. Perhaps it was time to break her out of her shell and turn the depressed caterpillar into a social butterfly once more. All he need do was convince her.

"Miandra."

Mia paused in her doorway.

"I was thinking... It's been some time since you've gone out and seen any of your friends. I'm certain that Tiana and Naveen, even Princess Cindy and Princess Snow, would love to see how you're doing. Wouldn't you like to go out for a while and spend some time with them? I'm sure it'd do you a world of good."

Mia lowered her gaze. Now that she was feeling better, she didn't have much excuse not to do so. However...

"Maybe another time, Dad. I just sort of, you know, want some time to myself for a while. I'll visit them again some time."

"Now, Miandra—"

"Thanks for the cocoa," she added, closing the door behind her.

With a sigh, Mia slid down the door and landed in a sitting position in front of it, nursing her hot chocolate. She knew she wasn't being a very good friend, but she just didn't have the will or the energy to see anyone. What would they even talk about? What would she say? She felt like a completely different person than when she'd first met them.

When she first arrived in Dizgaia, she was bright-eyed with wonder and full of excitement with a thirst for exploration and adventure, and her new friends were a welcome fantasy come true. But now... now she felt so... so empty. And she didn't think her friends, as kind and gentle-natured as they were, would quite understand. How could they?

Outside in the hallway, Blair crossed his arms and sighed. This was no good. All Miandra wanted to do was stay in her room, hiding from the world and avoiding her friends. It just wasn't healthy.

"Hey, Miandra!" called Figment as he zoomed up the stairs with a stick in one hand and a bag of marshmallows in the other. "I thought we could go outside and roast marshmall... Oh," he said, coming to a halt in front of her door. "I guess she wants to be alone again."

Figment gazed up at his creator with those big yellow eyes which somehow looked like sad puppy dog eyes, despite the reptilian face upon which they were set.

"What's wrong with her, Dreamfinder? I thought she was all better now. Why does she stay in her room all the time?"

"I can't be sure, Figment," said Blair. "But it would seem that you and I are not enough to bring Miandra out of this unfortunate mood she's in."

He placed a hand on the dragon's back and gently steered him away from Miandra's bedroom door.

"It looks like I'm going to have to call in a heavy hitter to get Miandra back on track. And I know just the person for the job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: "Magic Journeys" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers circa 1982 for the Disney fantasy movie attraction of the same name.


	3. Midnight Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning: A joke is made about having "the plague," to which a metaphorical response is given about a "vaccine." Before crucifying me, please bear in mind that, although I am only posting this to AO3 now, these early chapters were written prior to the current pandemic, and had it been otherwise, I would not have written it. In either case, those mature enough to handle it will not be too triggered, as it is simply a one-off comment.
> 
> Thank you.

Mia's existence was limited to four things – eating, sleeping, bathing, and crying. She stayed in her pajamas all day, and she rarely left her bedroom. Figment, desperate to do anything to help raise the spirits of his young mistress, played the role of her courier, flying to and from a local convenience store in Main Street with pints of mint chocolate ice cream, the only thing that seemed to bring Mia out of her funk, however briefly.

Miandra's room was a disaster area, and she showed no desire to clean up after herself. Sometimes she allowed Blair and Figment to offer her comfort. Other times, she wanted nothing more than to be alone in her thoughts. Little did she know, her father had been meddling behind her back, and the fruits of his labors were finally realized one evening as she lay in bed, throwing a ball aimlessly at the ceiling and catching it on return.

She heard the doorbell ring, but thought nothing of it. These days people were often stopping by to offer their well wishes and inquire about her. But no one as of yet had dared to breach the inner sanctum of her bedroom. However, after the usual muffled talking from downstairs, there came the sound of a pair of boots climbing the stairs, ending in a knock.

Mia caught the ball on its downward trajectory and glanced towards the door. "Stay away! I have the plague!" she called, then resumed her activity.

But despite her outrageous claim, or perhaps because of it, the door opened. Kevin Flynn stood in her doorway, dressed in a pair of torn blue jeans and a black and red Space Paranoids T-shirt beneath a familiar black biker jacket with a luminescent strip down the front.

"The plague? Well, if you've got the plague, honey, I think I've got just the vaccine for that."

Mia let out a surprised, "Ack!" and the ball smacked her in the face on the way down before rolling across the floor, which was littered with clothes.

Mia sat up, wide-eyed and tousle-haired. "F-Flynn? What're you doing here?"

"Well, I heard you were in a funk, and I thought..."

He trailed off as he glanced about the unholy mess that was her room. Her floor was littered with clothes, and there was a wastepaper basket filled to the brim with cartons whose contents only a young woman in a state of extreme heartache can binge upon – pints of mint chocolate ice cream.

Flynn reached down and picked up a discarded T-shirt, arching an eyebrow. "Do you always leave your clothes on the floor?"

Mia scrambled out of bed and snatched the shirt out of his hand with an annoyed huff. "No, I do _not_ always leave my clothes on the floor," she snapped. "If I'd known I was gonna have a visitor... But you just barged into my room!"

Flynn took a moment to appreciate Mia's appearance. She was dressed in a pair of pajamas consisting of fuzzy white pants and a dark blue shirt with a sleepy owl with the word, _Dreamer,_ beneath it. She was the epitome of cute.

Barefoot, Mia walked across the room, only to step on a discarded can of cola. "Agh!" she winced and tumbled backwards into Flynn's arms. "Look, I know this looks bad, okay? I'm... I'm going through some stuff right now. I'm not really in the mood for company. We can hang out later or something, all right?"

"Are you kidding, Mia? That's precisely why I'm here. You've been laying around this room like a lump ever since you made it home, when _everyone_ was worried about you. Me? Aside from your father, I've been completely bereft of human contact since that Yokai clown appeared. Tonight, I'm fixing _both_ of our problems."

Mia extracted herself from his arms. "Well, that's the life of a programmer, isn't it?" she asked somewhat tetchily. "Look, we both know you're a busy man and you only came here because my dad was freaking out and called you because he thought you could do, I don't know, _something_. But I'm not in the mood for being disappointed again, Flynn."

Flynn's arms dropped to his sides and he lowered his gaze. That last comment hurt. He hadn't seen Mia since the night of the Main Street parade. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. But the damage done to Tron by Yokai was extensive. Whoever was behind that mask, somehow, they'd found a way to scramble Tron's programming, almost derezzing him in the process. Flynn had ended up blowing off Mia to save what remained of his brother's legacy, only for Mia to get spirited away by Peter Pan. And who knew what happened to her after that? Flynn was relieved when she returned home safely, but circumstances had kept him away. He knew he'd neglected her as of late. That needed to change. It was changing tonight.

"Look," she said, running a hand through her long, tousled hair. "I consider you a friend, and we can always do lunch sometime or something. But right now, I'm just not feeling up to anything, okay?"

Was she trying to 'Friend Zone' him? Oh no... He wasn't having this.

Mia gathered her clothes and shoved them into her dresser. "Just go home, Flynn. You don't owe us anything. You can tell my dad you tried but that I turned you away. He won't be mad at you. We can hang out some other time."

"Yeah... Oookay."

Mia stopped at her dresser, her hands hovering over the drawers. Why did she suddenly feel so disappointed? She told him to leave, didn't she? So why was she sad that he was doing what she told him to? But when she turned back around, it was only to discover Flynn standing right behind her.

"Jeez!" she exclaimed, bringing a hand to her heart. "Flynn, I thought I told you to—" She never finished what she'd intended to say, for Flynn suddenly picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Sorry, kiddo. But that doesn't jive with me."

He turned and carried her out the bedroom.

"Hey! I'll give _you_ a jive!" she said, wriggling helplessly in his grasp. "Put me down, Flynn! I mean it!"

But her demands went unheeded as Flynn carried her down the stairs and through the living room where Blair was reading a book by the fire with Figment nearby, working on a puzzle. They didn't even look up as Flynn strolled by with Mia over his shoulder.

"Hey, Prof. Just taking your daughter out for a bit. Be back in an hour or so."

Blair didn't even look up from his book. "Hm? Oh. Yes, yes," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Have a good time."

"H-Hey!" shouted Mia. "Wait just a... Dad! Tell him to put me down right now!"

But Blair didn't pay her any heed. Either he didn't notice, or he simply didn't care. And so, Flynn carried his struggling captive out into the night air.

"Hey! Come on, Flynn! I said I didn't want to! Where are you even taking me? I'm barefoot and in my PJs for crying out loud!"

"I'm giving you a little lift, Dreamgirl." He set her down in front of him, but she couldn't make a proper escape as he kept his arms around her while he fiddled with a glowing baton, one which looked quite a bit bigger than the one which activated his Light Cycle.

Before Mia could ask questions, he twisted the baton and pulled it apart. They were suddenly engulfed within a luminous wireframe and glowing pixels which swarmed together to create a vehicle beneath them. If Mia had to describe it, she'd say it looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a small airplane. Mia was straddling the winged bike, Flynn sitting behind her with his arms around her, holding onto the steering apparatus which was created from the two parts of the baton.

"I'd hold on," he advised.

"W-Why? What are you— AHHH!"

A billowing boost from the backend of the vehicle launched it into the night sky. Flynn cranked the handlebars and it dipped down to the right, curving in a wide loop before blasting away from Tomorrow Hill and over the city below.

Mia had nothing to hold onto as the vehicle shot through the air. She was safe enough with Flynn's arms on either side of her, but it was nonetheless unnerving. She'd not been prepared for this. Flynn shifted the controls, sending it into a leftward curve over the city. Mia bit back a scream, trembling against him.

"So Mia," Flynn called over the rush of the wind. "How do you dig the Light Flyer so far?"

"I'd dig it more if you'd properly prepared me!" she shouted back.

"And miss your priceless reactions? Not a chance! Besides, if I'd just said, 'Hey, wanna go flying with me on the Light Flyer that I finally finished?' you probably woulda said, 'No, I'd rather lay around and stew in my own misery.'"

Mia glared over her shoulder at him. "I do not _stew_!"

The vehicle gave off a soft hum as it flew high above the city of Epcot. The shimmering, twinkling glass and metal metropolis of the future city glistened below them as Flynn piloted the vehicle through the air.

"I don't take no for an answer, honey. Not when it comes to busting you outta your depressed cocoon and getting you out for a bit of fun. And the best way to get over bad feelings... is to let those endorphins run wild!"

Flynn shifted the controls once more, taking a downward dive, flying lower into the Epcot skyline. Mia screamed, bracing herself against Flynn's chest, her fingers digging into his thighs as he drove the vehicle like a maniac. Flynn zoomed between the skyscrapers and illuminated structures, flying as if he, himself, was born with wings.

Mia spoke through chattering teeth. "N-Not e-everyone's an adrenaline j-junky, you c-crazy geek!"

Flynn merely laughed as he smoothed out their flying trajectory, and steered the Light Cycle serenely across the Epcot skyline. Little by little, Mia began to loosen up. Soon, they were making a wide orbit around the massive geodesic structure, or the Gaia Sphere, as her father called it. Mia gazed wonderingly at it. The stars in the sky above twinkled within its many facets.

"Oh Flynn," she breathed, forgetting that she was supposed to be cross with him. "It's so beautiful."

Once more, Mia heard that otherworldly hum which seemed to emanate from somewhere within the sphere. The longer they stayed near, the more Mia thought that it didn't so much sound like the hum of energy or machinery. It almost sounded... vocal.

"Listen," she said. "That humming, it doesn't sound very mechanical, does it? Almost like voices. Like a choir of angels or something."

Flynn arched an eyebrow. "Voices? Like angels?"

He knew the sphere made some kind of humming sound. But an angelic choir of humming voices? He'd never heard it put quite like that before. To him, the hum sounded merely like that of some kind of generator. A rather large one, but a generator nonetheless. What was Mia hearing that he couldn't?

"What do you suppose is inside?" she asked.

"One of the great mysteries of our time, Mia. We've found ways to draw energy from it, but as for what's truly inside? I couldn't even begin to guess."

Flynn leaned closer to her, and Mia couldn't help feeling pleasant at his proximity, even though she knew it was just so she could hear him better.

"But I hope," he said, "that one day it'll do our world a whole lot of good."

The Light Flyer veered away from the Gaia Sphere, a bright blue boost sending them off across the expansive city. Before long, the futuristic metropolis of Epcot gave way to the charming city of Main Street, sprawled out beneath them.

Mia leaned back against Flynn, making herself perhaps a little _too_ comfortable as they soared across the night sky.

"I admit," she said as they soared over the city, the only lights the warm glow of firelight in the windows of the houses below and the cool silver of the twinkling stars above them, "This is way better than laying around and stewing."

Flynn tilted his head down, bringing his lips close to her ear. Mia could feel his warm breath, and a hot shiver threatened to overtake her. Surely, he was only doing it so he could be heard over the wind. Nevertheless, the sensation sent feelings coursing through her body that she had been certain she would never feel again. She tried her best to ignore them, but was it just her imagination or were his arms moving closer, tighter around her?

"I'm glad to hear that," he said, "Because if this little flight of fancy didn't lift your spirits just a little bit, I was going to have to go back to the drawing board."

Flynn guided the Light Flyer away from Main Street towards the expansive forest which separated the city from the castle. Peeking up out of the top of the forest was a large, grassy hillside, bare but for tall grass and rows upon rows of wildflowers. It was here Flynn parked the Light Flyer. Mia slowly lowered herself from the vehicle, her bare feet hitting the thick grass. It felt heavenly. And from here, they had an excellent view of not only the castle, but the entire city!

"Wow!" exclaimed Mia. "You can see all of Main Street, and even Epcot, from here!"

"Yeah, I thought this might be a good place to chill. Maybe raise your spirits a little. And you couldn't ask for a better night," said Flynn, putting the Light Flyer in compact parking mode with the wings folded upward. He activated the Light Flyer's stereo, allowing a bit of smooth '80s synthpop to serenade them.

In naught but her jammies, Mia ran barefoot across the grass to the very edge of the hill and gazed out over the city. Taking a deep breath, she shouted into the night.

"THIS. IS. AMAZING! GOOD EVENING, CERENOPIA!"

Laughing, she turned to face Flynn, her long, silky hair blowing in the night wind and stealing his breath away. Flynn couldn't take his eyes off her as she stood beneath the starry night sky. It would be darker, if not for the glow of the luminescent vehicle nearby. The combined star, moon, and circuit light seemed to make Miandra's eyes sparkle.

"That," he said, "is something I wasn't sure I'd ever get to see again."

"Huh?"

"A man could do crazy things to see a smile like that."

Mia's lips spread into an even wider grin. But just as swiftly, her smile faltered and she began to tear up.

"Oh, Flynn," she said, sniffling. "You shouldn't say things like that to me. I-I can't handle things like that right now. I just..." Tears slid down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them with the back of her hand, but more soon took their place.

"Hey, hey now," said Flynn, taking her face in his hands and brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "C'mon. After a ride like that, we're gonna drown in the waterworks?"

He tilted his head, gazing at her with his remarkable blue eyes. They weren't the same kind of cold, calculating blue she'd once gazed into. They were a warm, soulful blue she could lose herself in. With James Hook, Mia had always felt like she was drowning in his eyes. With Flynn, it was more like gazing into the sky on a warm summer day.

"Hey," he said gently. "You wanna talk about it?"

But instead, Mia threw her arms around him, seeking the warmth he so easily offered. "Just hold me for a bit, okay?" came her voice, muffled against his chest.

Flynn obeyed without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him. He rested his face on her head, his lips and nose pressed against her hair. Oh, it smelled so nice! But now wasn't the time to get carried away with such thoughts. Mia was in a bad away. He could see that. Flynn didn't know the details, but he understood that her experience in Neverland, and later aboard Hook's ship, had been rough on her. Something must have happened to spoil Mia's sense of adventure and wonder. Someone had done her a real disservice. Someone had damn near ruined her.

Flynn suddenly found himself invested in the task of fixing what was broken. Mia was no program. He couldn't just dig into her coding and rewrite her and put her back to factory settings. But he could be there for her when she needed him. All he really wanted was for her to want him, to need him.

Mia breathed him in deeply, taking in his musk and the scent of cologne or deodorant or whatever it was that smelled so nice. His arms felt so good around her. It felt nice to be held again. Her tears wouldn't stop. She felt so childish, but she couldn't help it.

"Oh, Flynn," she said, "There's so much that I wish I could tell... I don't know... _someone_ , but at the same time, I just can't."

"Hey, hey now," he said, caressing her hair. "Listen a minute. If you need someone to pour your heart out to, believe it or not, I'm a damn good listener. I did a lot of listening for your father after your mother took you and hightailed it to Earth. Though, I suppose I might have been paying him back for everything he did for me after Alan died."

"Really?" asked Mia. "But back then, you would've just been a little... Oh. No, I suppose you wouldn't have been much younger than you are now, huh?"

"That's right, honey. Our time and Earth time isn't exactly synched up. In my timeline, it wasn't all that long ago that you were just a little rug rat. Uh, don't think too hard about that, though. The point is, if you wanna spill, I'm here for you."

Mia hesitated. "But, I mean, this whole thing tonight... The Light Flyer ride and listening... it isn't just another way to pay back my dad, is it?"

"No way!" he said. "Not a chance, man! When you were taken away by Pan, I put my work on Tron on hold because I wanted to do anything I could to try and find you! While your dad was frantically working on that old Dream Machine of his so he could fly out in search of Neverland, I was cruising all over the DizNet, researching Neverland sightings and trying to create an algorithm to predict its current location, or at least get a general idea of where to start looking."

He held her at arms' length and his grip tightened on her shoulders. Mia was convinced she saw some strange emotion in his eyes, one she dared not name, perchance she might misinterpret it only to be disappointed later.

"We were scared for you, Mia."

He hesitated, then corrected himself.

" _I..._ was scared for you."

"I'm sorry," she said, lowering her head shamefully. "I guess I'm really not good at trusting people sometimes. And when I do, it's the most untrustworthy people of all that I put my faith in."

With a sigh, Mia took a seat on the grass, gazing out at the castle and cityscape below. Flynn sat down next to her. He wanted to inquire about her last comment, but he wasn't given the chance. Mia, perhaps in an effort to avoid the very question he wanted to ask, turned the conversation elsewhere.

"You said you put your work on Tron on hold. How _is_ Tron, anyway?"

"Well..."

Flynn reached behind his back and pulled Tron's disc out of the holster on his leather jacket. The strip on the front of his jacket slowly went dim as, instead, the disc's rim began to glow. Flynn trailed his fingers along the disc's surface, activating some hidden code. A holographic projection of Tron's head sprung to life and hovered above the disc.

"I think he's almost at 100%. I just need to have CLU run one final diagnostic check on him. But I think Tron will be okay."

"Good," said Mia, smiling softly at the image. "I'd like to thank him sometime. You know, for keeping me safe when that Yokai guy..." she trailed off, her sentence ending in a shiver. She didn't want to think about it. That had been a frightening experience for everyone involved.

"Right," said Flynn, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, uh, look... I'm really sorry... you know, for the radio silence after the whole Yokai incident. I didn't mean to blow you off. It's just... the thought of losing Tron, it was almost like I lost Alan all over again. I mean, I know he only _looks_ like him, but sometimes... sometimes I think..."

"Sometimes you think maybe there really _is_ a little bit of Alan in him."

Flynn gaped at Mia in surprise as she turned her gaze out towards the cityscape.

"I've wondered that myself," she said. "I mean, I never met Alan. So I suppose I don't truly have a basis of comparison. But when Tron was dancing with me and we were talking... The way he talked, the things he said, both about you and just in general, even the smallest mannerisms... they just didn't seem very programmed to me. I mean, I come from a world where an A.I. like Tron isn't even close to being created yet. But I have intuition, and I just feel like maybe there's more to Tron than meets the eye, more than even _you_ realize. That's why I tried so hard to save him when Yokai took him. Tron feels... real... to me."

Mia drew her knees to her chest and hugged them as she gazed at the sparkling cityscape below. She was silent for a long time before next she spoke.

"Flynn... How _did_ Alan die?"

It was the question Flynn dreaded but knew he'd have to answer sooner or later. He gazed out over Main Street, silent for a moment before he finally forced himself to speak.

"Like I said before, Alan and I were super close, even for half-brothers. We both pursued the same studies. Computer science, programming and design under Dr. Walter Gibbs, our professor and former Imagineer at Medfield College. We were his best and brightest. Shortly after we graduated from Medfield, me, Alan, and Ram all began our internships at the Imagination Institute. Ram got in with studying and working on the Dreamports, while Alan and I started furthering Dr. Gibbs' research with his digitizer laser after he retired. Sure, we both discovered how to make digital data take physical form, but it was what we did with it that really mattered. Me? I just wanted to make fun video games and design cool bikes. But Alan... Alan was always taking things real seriously. He wanted to invent programs that would change everything, man. Change our lives, change the whole human condition, change the world."

Flynn had a faraway look in his eyes when he spoke about Alan and his altruism. Mia admired that look. It wasn't one she often saw on his face. He was almost beautiful, the way he gazed wistfully into the distance. But there was deep pain and sorrow beneath that expression, and Mia waited with bated breath for the story to turn tragic.

"When your old man decided to keep us on as full-time Imagineers, I started working on The Grid. But Alan, Altruistic Alan, he worked full time on Tron. I tried to get him to take it easy, to come have fun with me once in a while, but he was always so damned focused and determined. Tron was everything to him. After Ram got sent to Agrabah as a Dreamport technician, I _finally_ got Alan to chill and come with me to visit Ram. Things were real cool. It was like we were back in college again. It was a real blast to just sit around and have a real scientific jam, man." 

Flynn's expression darkened.

"Then, one night, we'd all gone to bed. Me and Alan were looking to roll out the next day and head back home. But during the night... _he_ attacked Agrabah."

Mia furrowed her brow. " _He?_ Who's..."

She trailed off and her eyes went wide.

"Y-You mean... Jafar?"

The look on Flynn's face was enough to tell her she was correct. Suppressing a shiver, Mia leaned closer to him as he continued his tragic tale.

"We were on our big vacation, enjoying our time off when that magic-slinging madman decided that it was a good time to crawl out from whatever dank hole he'd been hiding under since the war and try his hand at making a move on Agrabah again. It was a full-scale raid, man. Jafar had accumulated a gathering of pawns to play his games and was trying to ransack the joint. We were trying to evacuate, trying to get to the Dreamport while we still could. But on the way, there was this family... this poor family. Practically lived in a hole in the wall. They were in trouble. I kept telling Alan, 'We have to go! We can't stop!' I just wanted to save our skins. But Alan... he ran back to help the family, to try to get them to safety. He did it, boy scout that Alan was. But then..."

Flynn's eyes began to well up. No tears yet fell, but Mia could see them there all the same, shimmering just at the surface.

"Alan ran into this thug. A big nasty bastard. I guess Jafar had found himself a new commander for his band of creeps. I tried to run in, tried to intervene and do... _something._ But I wasn't fast enough. He..."

Flynn sniffed and rubbed at his nose. He was trying so hard at playing the strong, emotionless tough guy, trying not to cry. But the tears began to fall nonetheless.

"He killed Alan. And I... I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. When that creep took off, finally I ran to my brother. There was nothing I could do. As I held him, Alan just looked up at me and said, 'Flynn... Finish Tron."

Flynn drew his legs to his chest, sitting in much the same way as Mia was now. Only for Flynn, this seemed so out of character, like he was drawing inside himself, curling up. He looked so... vulnerable.

"Then... that was it."

Until now, Mia had never seen a man cry. Guys were always hiding their emotions, trying to live up to some arbitrary standard of manliness. And now, seeing Flynn like this, she almost didn't know what to do. She wanted to embrace him, comfort him, but she feared that he'd reject her on account of not wanting to show such unmanly weakness. Would it perhaps be better to give Flynn his dignity and pretend she didn't notice the tears?

It took but a moment for Mia to make her decision. Let him reject her, if he chose, but Mia did what she felt most compelled to do. She wrapped her arms around Flynn and drew him to her, letting him rest his head against her chest as a mother might do for a child. It was, perhaps, a little silly – he a grown man, and she in the last of her teenage years. Nevertheless, she held him, running her hand through his wavy hair.

"Thank you for telling me," she whispered. "That was very brave."

Flynn always made a big display of trying not to show too much weakness, trying to act cool in front of everyone. But here, Mia found him at his most vulnerable. Even a 'cool guy' like Kevin Flynn had his moments of weakness. He wrapped his arms around Mia and cried softly against her chest, so softly she almost couldn't hear it. She could only feel the trembling of his body, the wetness of his cheeks against her skin.

"I don't know what it is about you Mercurials," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "You guys always know how to get me to cry."

"Sorry. But if it makes you feel any better, I won't tell anyone that I saw the eminently cool Kevin Flynn cry," she gently teased as she continued to stroke his hair.

Flynn laughed. It seemed her comment had, at least for the moment, driven away his tears. For when he sat back up, his face was dry. Mia suddenly felt so empty without him in her arms, but she would never admit this. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, trying to hide how awkward she felt.

"So why is it you and my father are so close?" she asked. "You said he helped you. How exactly?"

"Well, you see, I had only interacted with Blair a few times prior, and never for very long. I mean, outside of the occasional lectures he gave. After Alan's funeral, I couldn't bring myself to work on anything. Not the Grid, not the Light Cycle... and especially not Tron. I didn't even show up for work. But your dad, he showed up at my apartment. He knew what had happened. And he really helped me through it."

Mia smiled. "Yeah, the Dreamfinder – Dad, that is – he's a great person. I'm really proud to be his daughter."

Flynn's expression softened as he reminisced. "We'd talk for hours. We'd jam on ideas and brainstorm together. He seemed to really dig what I had in mind, man. He motivated me to pull myself out of the funk I was in. The best way to truly honor Alan, he said, was to help him live on, to help him change the world. So I went to work on finally finishing Tron. And boy, did he need some work. Alan may have been brilliant and altruistic, but he knew nothing of style, man. You should have seen Tron's design in his early stages. I don't know what Alan was thinking with that hockey helmet."

"Those designs in the first Tron movie _were_ kind of silly," Mia laughed as she laid back on the grass with her arms crossed behind her head.

Flynn smiled and followed suit, laying down on the grass alongside her. Of course, he'd seen the movie. He'd seen both of them, in fact. Enjoyed them, too, even if they were rather exaggerated.

"I'm glad you didn't give up, Flynn," she said, gazing up at the stars. "If you had, who knows where I'd be right now. If not for Tron, Gaston would have kidnapped me and taken me to..."

She trailed off. Suddenly, she didn't want to think about the Dark Ones or Maleficent, or anything that reminded her of... James.

"The stars sure look pretty tonight, huh?" she said, trying to sound casual, but to Flynn it was obvious she was avoiding something, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Yeah... they're radiant tonight."

Mia didn't notice Flynn gazing at her, or else she might have blushed at the implication of his words. Instead, her eyes remained on the sky. She pointed at the star directly above them, as James Hook had done for her, not so very long ago.

"That's Ozstar, which means that way is north," she said. "Sort of like Polaris on Earth."

She moved her finger to the right.

"That one there is Mik's star. It's always the brightest. Then there's Taran's Sword, which wayfinders use to guide them at sea," she said, pointing to a constellation at the upper right of the firmament. "Then the Buccaneer's Hat," she added, pointing to a tricorn-shaped constellation. "Which leads the way to... to Isla Tesoro, the... the scallywag's... safe harbor."

Confused, Flynn studied the stars as Mia pointed them out. How would she even know all these things without taking some kind of astronomy class? Even _he_ didn't know all these constellations, and he'd actually _lived_ in Dizgaia his entire life. When exactly had she learned all these things? When next Flynn glanced at her, he was shocked to see tears rolling down her cheeks. He rolled onto his side, looking at her with a concerned gaze.

"Mia... Maybe we should talk. What happened on Neverland?"

Mia rolled away, putting her back to him. She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.

"I-I can't, Flynn. You'll never think of me the same ever again, if I tell you."

"Mia, come on. Don't say that."

"I'm an idiot, Flynn. A complete, utter moron. I'm probably the dumbest person in all of Dizgaia. So, you see, I just... I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand. You won't want to be friends with me anymore, after you hear."

Flynn placed a hand on Mia's shoulder and rolled her onto her back. Mia blinked tearfully up at him as he leaned over her, gazing at her with those beautiful blue eyes; eyes full of compassion and intelligence.

"You wanna try me? I shared my biggest tragedy with you. Maybe just do me a solid and trust me enough to tell me what happened. Please?"

Mia shook her head, causing more tears to spill down her cheeks. "That's just it, Flynn. That's exactly why I don't want to tell you. You shared with me your biggest tragedy. Your brother died at the hands of a Dark One. And I... I fell in love with one."

Johnny Lee's _Looking For Love_ began to play on the Light Flyer's stereo as Flynn sat up, staring at her in disbelief. "Wait... Hold up a second. Mind rolling that tape back a little and running it by me again? You... fell in love... with..." He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "Start from the beginning, Mia. What happened?"

It seemed Flynn wasn't going to take no for an answer. And so, even though she didn't want to, Mia found herself spilling everything to him, starting with Peter Pan whisking her away to Neverland and of the adventures she'd had there, of how it was like a childhood paradise with the unfortunate side effect that she continuously forgot about the people who were so worried for her back in Cerenopia. She spoke of how she'd come to care for Peter, and he for her, and how his age was constantly in flux, to where he was constantly trapped in a world of teenage hormones, always on the brink of adulthood but never quite reaching it.

She told him of that night, beneath the glow of the fairy tree, when Peter had poured out his heart to her and how she had nearly broken him with her persistence in philosophizing over his relationship with Wendy and his state of denial. But instead of breaking him, she'd broken _through_ to him, and the boy who refused to grow up, grew up a little. She spoke of their first kiss and the romance that followed; a romance that was spontaneous, transient, and undertaken with the reckless abandon of two teenagers who think they're in love, but are too immature to fully understand it.

If this wasn't difficult enough for Flynn to hear, what came next drove an ice pick into his chest and made him burn with a jealous, if not incredulous, rage; one that was not aimed at Mia, but at the dangerous villain who had seduced her. Captain James Hook had kidnapped Mia and taken her aboard the Jolly Roger as part of a plot to lure Peter into a trap. The ship set out to sea with the plan that Peter would come to rescue Mia only to fall easy prey to Hook's wicked scheme. But Peter never came. He'd forgotten about her.

Devastated over her first true heartbreak, it was Mia who fell easy prey to Hook's lustful advances. She found comfort in his arms, for he'd shown her both empathy and passion; a passion, specifically, for her artistic talents, something in which they both shared a bond. He bought her gifts and baubles, paints and canvasses. He encouraged her to draw, to write. In fact, it was he who gave her the courage to share her stories for the first time with someone who was not her adoptive father by forcing her to read them aloud to him. Mia saw a kindred spirit in him, a fellow artist who understood her, and someone with a tragic past. Someone she thought she could change.

But then she regaled Flynn with the arrival of Ursula, the Sea Witch, and of how the villainess told Hook of the return of the Dreamfinder's daughter, and later of Hook's discovery that Mia was the one they sought. She spoke of how despite everything they'd meant to one another, Hook had still intended to deliver her to Maleficent, and of how that betrayal and the juxtaposition of Hook's own tragic story and complicated feelings was the deepest cut of all.

When Mia finished her tale, she broke down completely, curling up into the fetal position. She brought her fist to her mouth, trying desperately to muffle her passionate sobs.

"S-So now you see why... why I d-didn't w-want to... to tell you," she cried.

Miandra Mercurial wasn't the same girl she was when Flynn had last seen her. She'd fallen in love... hard. Perhaps even foolishly. She'd given her herself entirely to two of the most seductive people who existed in Dizgaia. Flynn felt a hollow sensation inside him. Even if both Peter Pan and Captain Hook had technically seduced Mia, they were both incredibly remarkable. And Mia had fallen for both of them. How could he, Kevin Flynn, a man with no truly remarkable abilities, a man who was, simply put, just a man, even hope to compare to that? For Mia's first and second loves, she'd set the bar incredibly high.

Flynn almost didn't even know how to respond to all that she'd told him. But in this time of need, judgement was far from what Mia needed right now. Even if Flynn felt very small, very minor compared to who she'd been with... Mia needed support. Still, he could barely contain his rage.

"Jerks! Slimeballs! Couple of self-serving..."

He called them a name that Mia dare not repeat. Flynn tore out a clump of grass and tossed it over the ledge. "They just seduced you for their own amusement! Hook definitely. But Peter Pan... That little brat isn't much better!"

Mia hiccoughed, choking on her own tears. "I-I suppose..." she said slowly. "But it didn't really feel like it at the time. I thought... I mean, it seemed like they really cared about me. Sometimes, I like to think that maybe, in their own strange way, they did. But I-I suppose I'm just deluding myself."

Flynn watched with dismay as Mia rolled onto her stomach and sobbed into her arms, drowning herself in tears of anguish. If he didn't do something about this now, then there was a good chance that Mia might never come out of herself again.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry. I know I'm an idiot. I know what you must think of me, and I'm sure no man will ever want me now... now that I've been tainted."

"Hey, hey, hey! Mia! Listen to me! Don't do this to yourself, okay?"

He placed a hand on her head and trailed his fingers through her hair.

"We all makes mistakes. That's what makes us human. We're flawed, man. But that doesn't mean we just stay where we are and allow ourselves to be eroded from the inside out by the mistakes we make. You know that old, 'Row row row your boat' song? Well, you need to keep on rowing honey, or this stream you're in is gonna wash you away. You can't just stop at one shore and say, 'This is where I belong.' You gotta keep moving to the next shore. It's not about the destination, Dreamgirl... It's the journey that really matters, ya dig? Learn from your mistakes and move on."

Mia sat up, wiping at her eyes. "That advice is all well and good, Flynn. But it's not as easy as all that."

"I know, honey. But it's the best advice I can give."

Mia gazed at him through eyes shimmering with tears. "You don't hate me?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

Flynn shook his head. "Hate is a strong word. I don't think there's a thing you could do to make me hate you. If I hated you for your mistakes, then I must absolutely loathe myself for my own."

He pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"Hate... really isn't what springs to mind when I look at you."

For a moment, Mia simply stared at him, studying his face for signs of insincerity. There were none. Still crying, she threw herself into his arms.

No words passed between them. Flynn simply held her close, held her tight. Again, he buried his nose into her hair as he traced his fingers through her silky locks. Flynn knew her emotions were on fire right now, so he didn't want to do anything to wreck what was happening here. Even if all he wanted to do was push her back onto the grass, press his lips against hers, and show her that even if he was just a normal man, he could love her the way she deserved. But instead, he simply held her, wanting her to know that she was cared for. Flynn would do nothing to hurt this girl. She meant so much. Not just to Cerenopia or to the Dreamfinder, but to him.

Mia felt so safe in his arms. Here, it was safe to cry, to laugh, to smile, to just be herself, and Flynn wouldn't judge her.

_Sometimes... sometimes I think maybe I love you, Flynn,_ she thought, but she did not say it. She could never say it. After all, how could she ever trust such feelings again, after how astray they'd led her? But for now, at least, she'd gladly take comfort in his arms.

"Thank you, Flynn," she said after a time, her voice muffled against his jacket. "Thank you for, you know, just... everything."

Flynn hugged her tighter. "Don't sweat it, kiddo."

From the Light Flyer's stereo, Johnny Lee's _Looking For Love_ ended and _All I Have to Do is Dream_ by the Everly Brothers began to play. Mia pulled back to look Flynn in the eyes.

"The Everly Brothers? Really? That's, like, circa 1970. Kinda old school even for you, isn't it, Flynn?"

"You're one to talk, Miss 19-years-old-but-I-know-songs-from-the-70s."

"Blame my dad. My adopted father, that is. He was born in the '70s, so he's really into music from the '70s and '80s. It's what he raised me on. Honestly, I always felt a sort of disconnect with my own time. Musically, culturally. I never understood what it was. Like, I just never really fit in. I could never relate to anyone my own age. Now... Well, now I have to wonder if that's because I wasn't from Earth. I never belonged there to begin with."

"Hmm. Could be," said Flynn. "Or maybe it's just that you're the only kid your age with good taste."

Mia smirked and rolled her eyes at his teasing.

"Actually," he said, "This song is one of my favorites. Makes me wish I had my guitar. I like to play this one."

"You play guitar?" asked Mia. "Wow. Look at you, Mr. Computer Geek... Defying all stereotypes."

"Yeah, man. I'm a regular rock star," he joked. "Really, I'm just average at best. Nothing to quit my day job over."

"Still, I'd like to hear you play sometime."

"Who knows?" said Flynn with a handsome grin. "Maybe some day you will. I can at least sing this one, anyway."

Flynn reached into his jacket pocket and took out his smartphone-like device. Using it as a remote control, he started the song over and turned up the volume. The music resonated from the Light Flyer, the blue lights of the vehicle pulsing in time to the beat as Flynn began to sing.

"Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream  
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream  
When I want you in my arms...  
When I want you and all your charms...  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do...  
Is drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream dream..."

Flynn's eyes were on Mia as he sang. He didn't know if she'd pick up on it – in fact, he rather doubted it – but he was singing it specifically to her. She gave no indication she understood what he was doing, but to his surprise, she picked up the next verse.

"When I feel blue  
In the night...  
And I need you...  
To hold me tight...  
Whenever I want you  
All I have to do  
Is drea-ea-ea-ea-eam..."

Flynn arched an eyebrow. She wasn't so bad herself. Easy on the eyes _and_ the ears. Grinning, he continued on.

"I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine  
Any time... night or day..."

Mia picked it up without missing a beat.

"Only trouble is...  
Gee whiz... I'm dreaming my life away..."

A flawless transition. And why not? How often had she sung like this with her adopted father? Flynn's eyes held on Mia's. Almost as if fate decreed it, without communication, both Mia and Flynn sang the next verse in unison.

"I need you so...  
That I could die...  
I love you so...  
And that is why...  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do  
Is drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream dream  
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam..."

Again, Flynn:

"I can make you mine...  
Taste your lips of wine...  
Any time night or day..."

And Mia:

"Only trouble is...  
Gee whiz...  
I'm dreaming my life away..."

Flynn wrapped an arm around her and Mia leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder as they both gazed out at the cityscape below. They sang the chorus one final time, their voices harmonizing perfectly.

"I need you so...  
That I could die...  
I love you so...  
And that is why...  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do  
Is drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream dream  
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam..."

The song came to an end and Guns n' Roses' _Sweet Child of Mine_ took its place. Flynn held Mia in his arms, but it was not his arms Mia found herself suddenly ensnared by. Instead, it was his eyes – his warm, intelligent, kind blue eyes – which held her captive. A part of Mia wanted to pull away -- from his arms and his gaze. It almost frightened her, though she couldn't explain why. But she had not the strength to pull away. After everything she'd been through, she craved a man's arms. She craved _this_ man's arms. She needed Flynn's embrace.

Flynn knew what he wanted. He wanted so desperately to make up for all the time they'd been apart, to make up for his behavior from what now felt like a very long time ago, to make up for not being there for her when she needed it, to make up for every pain she'd suffered at the hands of the selfish ne'er-do-wells that did her wrong. He reached a hand up and trailed his fingers through her hair. Mia closed her eyes and tilted her head, pressing her cheek into his palm as she let out a quiet sigh.

"Mia..."

She sensed him drawing closer and opened her eyes. His face was so close. His lips... As Flynn began to lean, so too did Mia. It seemed that in this moment, perhaps, things were finally going to work. The stars were going to align. Flynn was certain the time was right as he leaned in for that much-coveted kiss.

But suddenly Mia drew back, extracting herself from his embrace and letting out a nervous little laugh as she tucked her hair behind her ear and turned back to face the city below. Her heart was pounding a percussive rhythm in her chest. She was a cistern of conflicting emotions. There were things she wanted from him, and yet she was too afraid. After all, the last time she allowed herself to give into such feelings, they'd only resulted in heartache. She wasn't sure she could ever trust herself with such thoughts ever again.

Flynn let out a sigh. On the one hand, he was frustrated. How could she pull back? Why would she just leave him hanging like that? Didn't she _want_ to...? But he had to consider the other side of the coin. This girl had been through tremendous heartbreak. No doubt she wasn't ready to trust so easily again. It would take time. It was a real bummer, but Flynn understood. He had to.

"So tell me, Flynn," Mia said casually as she gazed out over the city. "What is it you like about Earth? I mean, aside from Blair sending you back and forth as a sort of transitory liaison, why do you go? What's the appeal?"

It seemed they were back to talking. There were other things Flynn would have preferred to do with his mouth, but at least Mia was in better spirits than she had been. He would gladly carry on conversation with her. Whatever she needed, whatever she wanted, even if it was just to talk casually, he was here for her.

"Well, lemme tell ya," he said, stretching his legs out and leaning back on his arms. "If it weren't for our constant interactions with Earth, I don't think DIzgaia would be as advanced as we are now. Cats there have come up with a lot of really killer ideas. Think of this: All the technology we have here, it really hasn't been around that long on our side of things. It really wasn't too long ago when horse-drawn carriages were just about the only way to get around. We've kinda been playing catch-up at breakneck pace. Only... we were going so fast that we surpassed Earth in no time."

"In some ways, anyway," said Mia, teasing just a little. "After all, smartphones—"

"Got one," said Flynn, waving his phone at her as though reminding her of its existence.

" _You_ have one, yes," said Mia. "But the rest of Dizgaia..."

"Okay, so that's _one_ thing. And it's not that it doesn't exist. It just hasn't permeated our culture as much as it has Earth's."

"Some might consider that a positive thing," Mia admitted.

"Earth folks have a bad habit of becoming slaves to technology rather than simply users of it. All good things in moderation. Still, there is Hyperion City. Probably the closest you'll come to Earth in culture and technology here on Dizgaia. Anyway, a lot of our progress has to do with your dad and Imaginergy... with, of course, the help of other brilliant imagineers." Flynn offered Mia a cocky smile. "We saw the potential of Earth's technology. We wanted to reach those horizons. If we can dream it, we can do it!"

"Yes we can, yes we can..." Mia sang softly.

"You know the Horizons song," said Flynn, grinning. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"That particular Disney attraction was dismantled around the time I was born. But my dad, Edward, he remembers it fondly. He used to play old records, and I picked a few things up," she said with a smile.

"Kickin' it old school Disney. I dig it. Anyway, growing up, I was one hell of a dreamer, man. If it weren't for the rapid technological advances we made, I don't know what I'd be doing now. Earth inspired us to become so much more. Aside from that," he shrugged and smiled. "They've got good tunes and have come up with great ways to entertain themselves with games and movies and all that. And people over there, they're not so bad. I guess what it boils down to is... it's a whole other world. And going to a different world than your own... it's like a cosmic jazz that nothing can compare to."

"You're telling me," Mia agreed. "Heck, you've probably seen a good deal of Earth technology and culture go by, what with the time difference between worlds."

Flynn supposed this was true. He didn't know what the exact temporal displacement between the worlds was, as it was never consistent. There was never any distinct pattern. It was just different. Often, vastly different. Though the past few times he'd been to Earth, the time difference had been relatively shorter than past excursions.

It took him a moment to realize that Mia had become quiet and pensive. She hadn't said anything for quite a while. Just when he was about to prod her, she spoke.

"Flynn... There's something else that's been bothering me lately."

"Oh? What's on your mind? Maybe I can shed some light on the matter."

"I'm not sure it's a shed-light-on sort of matter," she admitted. "But lately I've realized that I've been forgetting things. Things from Earth. About... about my family. I mean, if asked to recall things or if I actively think about it, I can remember them. But it's like... it's like I forget to remember them. Do you know what I'm saying? Does that make any sense at all?"

"Yeah," said Flynn solemnly. "It makes sense, kiddo. It's been said that people from the other side tend to get a little... forgetful... when they come to Dizgaia. Heck, I've heard that sometimes the ambassadors had to be reminded to return home when they were here visiting."

"Honestly, since coming here, not once did I think about my dad – my adopted dad, that is. I mean, maybe a little in the beginning, but not since. Mom occasionally comes up in conversation because of Blair, but I could care less about her right now. But my dad, Edward... It's like he completely slipped my mind. And the last time I saw him... Well, I-I think Gaston may have hurt him. Assuming my dad's okay, I'm sure he's worried sick about me. But me? I've just been galivanting and goofing off in an alternate dimension, and never once even thought about him and if he was okay or how he must be feeling with me gone."

Of course, Flynn remembered Edward Baxter. He'd not come in contact with the man personally, but he'd seen him from afar. He was an admirable father, having stood up to Gaston before Tron could intervene. A brave man, to say the least.

"It wasn't until recently, on the Jolly Roger of all places..." Mia's voice cracked when she spoke the name of Hook's ship. "... that I remembered him. I was having all kinds of awful nightmares. When I was at my most frightened and stressed, I dreamt about my dad. And then, that very next morning, he called me. My dad actually got through to me on my phone! An _Earth_ phone, which definitely doesn't have any service here. The connection was staticky and weak at best, and then it cut out. But it was like I somehow summoned him with my mind. I thought about asking Dad – uh, Blair, that is – but I was too afraid."

"Are you kidding?" said Flynn with wide eyes. "That's definitely something your old man would wanna hear! You've got to tell him! You might've been subconsciously tapping into your spark and pulling off some dreamfinding abilities! He'd be stoked, man!"

Mia hung her head. "I don't know. I just don't want to hurt him. But at the same time... I feel like I should... you know... do _something_ to let my Earth dad know I'm okay. Maybe if I could just visit him... But I think I'm supposed to get permission or something, I mean, if the way Agent Royo talks is any indication. And the worst part is, I don't even know what sort of effect the time difference may have had."

"Man," said Flynn, scratching his head. "If only there weren't so many negative factors working against us in this case. See, I was going back and forth through the Rainbow Corridor for Blair pretty frequently. But since the Dark Ones started getting around, and with that Agent Royo getting on my ass... simply strolling back to Earth isn't gonna be something we can just up and do. There's so much red tape with traveling between dimensions."

"What should I do?" asked Mia, looking on the brink of tears once more.

"To be honest, I think you're gonna have to run all this past Blair. Maybe even go higher. Since you're pals with the princesses, maybe you can see what they have to say about it. You're gonna have to trust them with all this if you wanna get a word out to your Earth dad."

Mia let out a long sigh. "I suppose... I'm just really afraid Blair will be upset. I'm afraid of hurting him. I don't want him to think I love Edward more. I love them both equally. I mean, between this world and Earth, obviously I'd rather stay here. But with the time difference, does that mean my parents on Earth will keep aging super quickly and then, if I go back to visit them one day, they'll be gone? Perhaps have been dead for 50 or 100 years? I just... I don't know what to do."

Mia had been on Dizgaia for some time now. How long had it been? Two months? Maybe three? How much time had passed on Earth, then? For all Flynn knew, a couple years might have gone by. Maybe more. Maybe less. He really didn't know. All that mattered was Edward Baxter deserved to know that his daughter was okay.

"I'm telling you, Mia... Talk to Blair. Talk to Princess Cindy and Princess Snow. I doubt they'd flat out refuse you."

Mia took a deep breath. "All right," she said. "I mean, I guess I'm going to have to."

Flynn wished he could be more help. But really, it was the only suggestion he could offer. The Dreamfinder and the princesses were about the only ones he could think of that might be able to figure out a way to let Edward know Mia was all right without crossing any red tape or putting Mia in danger.

Mia laid down and stretched out on the grass as she gazed up at the stars. Flynn leaned back on his hands and gazed down at her with a soft smile as they fell into a quiet moment, free of conversation. It was when Bonnie Tyler's _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ began to play from the Light Flyer's stereo that Mia spoke again.

"You ever see the music video to this song, Flynn?"

"Yeah, man. Really trippy."

"You think the woman in that video wanted to get it on with her students or something?"

Flynn busted into laughter. He didn't know what it was. Was her comment really that funny, or was it just because it was so unexpected? His hands went to his middle and he plopped flat onto the grass, roaring with laughter, even coming close to tears. It was infectious. Soon, Mia was laughing along with him. And when she laughed, it only made Flynn laugh more.

When they both finally settled down and regained their breath, Mia scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Flynn. I really needed this."

"It's my pleasure, honey."

This time they were silent for a long time, just enjoying one another's company and close proximity as they quietly studied the stars. Flynn almost dozed until he heard Mia speak softly to him.

"What if we just stayed out here all night?"

"All night?" he asked, a wide smile spreading across his face. "You wanna stay with me all night?"

His reaction did not go unnoticed. Mia didn't want him to misunderstand or get any funny ideas. Even if there was a part of her that desperately wanted to swallow her fear and inhibitions and seek in him that which had been taken from her twice.

"What I mean is I want to stay with you _out here_ all night. You know... just hang, chill... whatever you call it. Talk, stargaze, listen to music. And if we get tired..." She yawned loudly. "Sorry. If we get tired, we can just fall asleep. No biggie, right?" She rolled onto her side and draped her arm across his stomach, resting her head on his chest. "It'll be like camping out without a tent."

_No funny business, huh? All right, Mia. I get the message._

Nevertheless, this plan of hers wasn't one he could argue with. Laying out here stargazing with the dream girl all night... That was fine by him. She was safe with him by her side. And if anything happened, final diagnostic or not, Tron was fully functional if need be. With one arm behind his head, Flynn slid his other around Mia.

"I dig that," he said. "A lot, actually."

"I dig _you_ a lot, actually," Mia replied. "I don't think I've ever had anyone who's been there for me the way you have, Flynn. I mean, aside from family, of course. Thanks for rescuing me and thanks for being my friend. My best friend, even."

"You deserve it, Dreamgirl. I gotta admit, you've definitely shaken up my little slice of utopia."

Flynn's gaze lifted back to the stars as the Light Flyer's stereo continued to play his favorite Earth tunes. As the Grass Roots' _Midnight Confessions_ began to play, Flynn trailed his fingers through Mia's hair.

"Mmm..." said Mia, her eyes fluttering. "Flynn, if you keep that up, I'll..." She trailed off as Flynn continued to run his fingers through her long silky tresses. He didn't seem to notice.

"I don't think I even wanna consider this place without you anymore," he said quietly as The Grassroots sang their song.

_"In my midnight confessions_   
_When I tell all the world that I love you_   
_In my midnight confessions_   
_When I say all the things that I want to..."_

"In fact," said Flynn, "I think I might want..."

It was then he heard her soft snores. Flynn glanced down at her, arching an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're serious with this right now?"

Indeed, she was out like a light. Flynn felt as though he'd been robbed of something special. He had wanted to tell her something. Something important. He supposed he could wake her up, but she just looked so peaceful, so angelic asleep beneath the twinkling celestial lights above that he couldn't bear to wake her. She'd been through so much. If she could sleep so soundly in his arms, then he would take it as a compliment.

Flynn held her protectively as he gazed serenely up at the stars above. "Sweet dreams, kiddo," he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit where credit is due: Flynn's "Row Row Row Your Boat" speech was inspired and paraphrased from Jeff Bridges in his book, "The Dude and the Zen Master." The song "All I Have to do is Dream" is by the Everly Brothers, but the back and forth manner in which Flynn and Mia sang it was heavily inspired by the movie "Starman," starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. Although I do not necessarily picture my version of Flynn as a carbon copy of a young Jeff Bridges, I do often enjoy taking inspiration from him, as he was the actor who played Kevin Flynn in the Tron movie.


	4. Daddy's Girl

The next morning the Light Flyer touched down on the Mercurials' front lawn. Mia hopped down, feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time.

"Better get a move on, honey," said Flynn. "I told your old man I'd have you back in an hour, and we were out all night. I've wanna vamoose before he has a chance to spot me."

"Oh, that's right," said Mia, frowning. "I hadn't thought of that. In that case, I'd better not invite you in for breakfast."

"As great as that sounds, we'd best take a raincheck for another time... perhaps after you've calmed Blair down."

"Fair enough. Thanks again, Flynn! I'll see you around, okay?"

She gave him a happy little wave and turned to go into the house, then paused. Suddenly, she ran back to him, threw her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Let's hang out again tomorrow, okay?"

"Well, only because you asked so nicely," he said with a grin.

With another wave and after a brief tete-a-tete with SMRT-1, the home security system, Mia entered the house, pausing once more to wave from the threshold. Then, she was gone and Flynn was left with the electric feeling of her lingering kiss on his cheek. Flynn brought his hand to his face, his fingers tracing over the spot where she'd kissed him.

"Heh. I guy could get used to that." Whistling happily to himself, Flynn took to the skies.

No sooner had Mia entered the house, she was greeted by a robed and very cross - and very tired-looking - Dreamfinder.

"Miandra Mercurial! Where in the blazes have you been?! You've been gone all night long! I was worried sick about you!"

"Me too! Me too!" exclaimed Figment, fluttering at his side.

"Kevin said one hour. ONE... HOUR! I thought something awful had happened!"

"Yeah! Like you'd gotten gobbled up or..."

"Figment, please!" said Blair, shooting the dragon a disapproving glare. He turned back to Mia, crossing his arms over his chest. "I expect you to explain yourself _this instant,_ young lady!"

Despite this harsh admonishment, Mia's good mood could not be stifled. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. It's not Flynn's fault. It's mine. I was having such a good time and it was such a beautiful night, I didn't want to come home right away."

"Be that as it may-"

"We took the Light Flyer over Main Street and Epcot and flew it around the Gaia Sphere, and it was just like that scene in _Aladdin_ when he and Jasmine are riding the flying carpet! It was just so magical!"

"As nice as that sounds, I still-"

"Then we sprawled out on this hillside overlooking the city, and we listened to music while we stargazed, and it was just such a beautiful night! It was sort of an impromptu camping trip and totally my idea, so please don't be mad at Flynn, okay?"

"Well," said Blair with a ghost of a smile on his face. "I suppose... Wait," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You spent the night with him?! Miandra, I don't mean to be strict, but I am very concerned about the idea of you spending-"

He never had the chance to finish his sentence as Mia kissed him on the cheek and skipped merrily up the staircase. "I'm gonna take a shower," she called. "Then I'll make breakfast for us, okay?"

Blair was left standing in the kitchen in his jammies, completely dumbfounded. He'd gone from angry and very much ready to scold and punish his daughter to pleasantly surprised and utterly relieved.

"Welp... Looks like she learned _her_ lesson, Dreamfinder," said Figment.

"Kevin did it, Figment," said Blair, smiling. "He managed to get the old Miandra back! She's positively glowing!" But, slowly, his expression grew troubled. "I only hope they didn't do something they shouldn't have to bring out that glow."

"Like drinking something radioactive?" asked Figment.

Blair sighed.

Over a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and soft, flaky croissants, Mia regaled her father and Figment in more detail about her evening with Flynn.

"I'm really glad you called him, Dad. It was just what I needed."

Then, to their utter bewilderment, she broke out in song.

"I guess you're just what I needed," she sang as she buttered her croissant. "I needed someone to feed... I guess you're just what I needed... I needed someone to..." She trailed off as she glanced up from her breakfast to see the looks of bafflement on their faces. "Sorry," she laughed. "Flynn and I were doing that, like, all night. I guess I haven't quite gotten it out of my system yet."

"No, no. Please, dear, don't apologize," said Blair smiling fondly at her. "It does my heart good to see you in such high spirits. I was worried I might never see you smile again."

"I know," said Mia, lowering her gaze. "I guess I've been kind of a crappy daughter lately."

"Oh, Miandra, no," said Blair, aghast. "Please don't say that! That's not true at all! You've just been through so much, dear heart."

"I appreciate that, Dad," said Mia with a weak smile. "But it doesn't change the way I feel." She was quiet for a moment, contemplative. Then - "Hey... Would you like to go on a father-daughter date?"

Blair flushed with excitement and Mia had to stifle a laugh.

"Why, of course! That's a wonderful idea! Perhaps I could take you to a few choice spots in Epcot, specifically. It only just occurred to me that there's still so much you haven't seen, dear!"

At the promise of exploring new places of interest in Epcot she had yet to see, Mia was dressed and ready to go in no time. And she certainly seemed to be taking this father-daughter date seriously. She had dressed herself in her cutest set of semi-casual clothes - a white peasant blouse and a blue knee-length pleated skirt. Blair was always proud to gaze upon his daughter. Beautiful and vibrant, intelligent and curious, she was everything he could have imagined and more. But with her dressed so cutely, he feared he may have others to contend with for her attention today.

They took the steam car into Epcot. Their first destination was Horizons Mall, which Mia quickly learned was quite a different creature from the strip mall in Main Street. One word that Mia would use to describe this mall would be _futuristic._ The interior was at once both dark and glowing. Hovering holograms advertised brand name products, and others served as mall directories. Some people walked while others rode on hovering segways.

Earth could pretend they'd invented hover boards - those sleek, handle-free boards with two tiny wheels that gave a vague illusion of hovering - but these ones were quite literally floating a foot or more off the ground. Mia convinced Blair to rent one for each of them, and it was in this fashion they toured the mall. Horizons was not only a shopping mall, but a museum of sorts, as well as a place for recreation. While some malls had decorative fountains, this mall had decorative pools that people could swim in. The water was a luminescent blue with color-changing holographic fish to swim alongside.

Blair had guessed that Horizons Mall would appeal to his 19-year-old daughter. He certainly wasn't wrong. Perhaps he spoiled her more than he ought to, buying her pretty much everything she expressed so much as a passing fancy in. But he couldn't help himself. He was just so happy to have his daughter back, in spirit as well as body. He'd been so worried for her, and now that she was in high spirits, he wanted to ensure it lasted.

Mia knew she was being spoiled, and she knew the reasons. While she appreciated it, at the same time, it made her particular goal - the talk she needed to have with him as per Flynn's advice - all the more difficult. She was waiting for the perfect opportunity, but it had yet to present itself.

Next on their sight-seeing itinerary was a place called Progress Park, a revolutionary experiment in climate control technology. The outside of the park looked like a castle made of giant crystals. But the true attraction lay inside the structure. Through technological advancements in climate control, this park was able to showcase four different environments. The park was divided into four chambers to represent the four seasons. Each section, or 'season,' was encased in a giant crystaline structure, each of which was accessed via a series of glowing tunnels.

They began in the spring chamber. Vibrant green leaves and tiny blossoms were sprouting on the trees. Baby birds were learning to fly and fawns were getting their legs stable beneath them. Mia watched flowers bloom before her very eyes as friendly butterflies fluttered around her head. As Mia and Blair continued on through the park, she soon discovered that the glow within the tunnels was the result of giant bioluminescent mushrooms which lit the way through the cavernous tunnels. The mushrooms were genetically engineered to glow in a multitude of colors which pulsed in rhythm to the music which played on the speakers overhead.

_"Let's listen to the land we all love_  
nature's plan will shine above  
listen to the land, listen to the land..."

"I know this song," said Mia wonderingly.

"Do you?" asked Blair, lifting an eyebrow as a ghost of a smile crossed his face. "I believe Disney World also used this song in an attraction of the same name in what was once called _The Land Pavilion_ in EPCOT.Though I would have thought by the time you and your mother returned to Earth, that particular attraction would have been replaced with something else."

"It was, but Edward remembers it from when he was young. He has a soundtrack with all the old Disney Park attraction themes."

"Oh. I see."

Mia chewed her lip. She'd brought up Edward, which was exactly what she'd intended to do today, but not exactly the _way_ in which she'd intended. And Blair's reaction was subdued; uncomfortable... awkward. How was she ever going to do this?

In the summer chamber it was a good deal hotter. There was a playground for children, a scenic bike path for cyclists, and all manner of summertime entertainment one could hope for. A Reggae band played in a nearby gazebo, and there was even a small body of water with simulated waves for people to swim in.

Then there was autumn. The trees put on their fall finest. Autumn leaves rained softly down upon them like golden petals. The ground was carpeted in red, orange, and yellow leaves which crunched satisfyingly beneath their feet. Jack-o-lanterns lined the pathways, others hung from trees. A vendor sold apple cider in the center of a small orchard. Mia and Blair raced one another through a corn maze with Figment flying behind them. She was having so much fun that by the time they arrived at the end of the tunnel which led to the winter chamber, Mia had all but forgotten the talk she was supposed to have with her father.

Blair couldn't have been more pleased with Miandra's reaction to Progress Park. Once again, she was the same excitable young woman, wide-eyed with wonder, that she'd been when she first arrived on Dizgaia. After all the emotional trauma she endured during her disastrous Neverland adventure, he wanted Miandra to find even more wondrous things happening right in her own backyard, instead of far away.

A special kiosk awaited them at the end of the tunnel approaching the Winter Pavilion. Blair and Mia stood behind a line of people awaiting their turn.

"Now watch these folks, dear, and see what they do. You access that special holographic interface there, and you can custom make your own snowsuits for a little winter walk. Watch, watch."

Mia watched as a father, mother, and their children utilized an interactive holographic screen to customize their clothes. Upon pressing the 'finish' button, several tiny lasers 3D printed coats, boots, gloves, and hats onto the happy family.

"Wow!" Mia exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"They're made from a synthetic material that is lightweight, but quite warm," Blair explained. "After all, a walk through the Winter Pavilion requires warmer attire."

"And you said it's totally customizable?"

Mia soon found out for herself as she stood on the platform in front of the laser scanner, which was very reminiscent of the digitizer laser in Flynn's lab. She soon learned why.

"This is another one of Dr. Walter Gibbs' marvelous inventions," said Blair. "Quite the genius when it comes to laser tech, I must say."

After a brief interaction with the holographic screen, Mia was soon fitted with her very own custom winter outfit. Her ensemble was reminiscent of something out of the 1800s; a Victorian era inspired lady's caroler dress of blue velvet and a matching fur-lined cape with velvet hood. A pair of fur-lined boots, white gloves, and a white faux furred hat completed the ensemble, and Mia was ready to enter the Winter Pavilion.

"Wow, wow, wow! You look beautiful, Miandra!" exclaimed Figment, who wore earmuffs, a winter sweater and matching scarf.

"Indeed," remarked Blair. "An exquisite choice, Miandra. It suits you very much!"

"Thanks," said Mia. "That tech is amazing! Every girl's closet should come equipped with that!"

Blair chuckled at his daughter's reactions as he outfitted himself in a dark blue, Victorian-style coat and mantle with a long red scarf, gloves, earmuffs, and a new top hat. He looked positively Dickensian, as if his usual style didn't already possess a Victorian flair.

Offering Mia his arm, they entered the Winter Pavilion together. What lay before them was a veritable winter wonderland. The trees were rendered leafless by the cold weather, and snow was falling - somehow - from the glass ceiling above, covering the ground in a foot of snow. And yet, the walkways remained miraculously clear. There were people building snowmen, ice skating on a frozen pond, and a street vendor selling hot cocoa.

Blair smiled as he walked arm in arm with his daughter. "I'll bet my last Cerenni that you didn't think you'd be walking through a snowy landscape when you woke up this morning. You should _really_ see this place during Yuletide."

"Yuletide?" said Mia, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "So Dizgaia _does_ have a winter holiday!"

"Of course, dear! Earth hardly has the market cornered on holiday celebrations. In fact," he said, rubbing his chin as though only now remembering. "Yuletide is only a month away. We have lots to do! Perhaps you should consider making a wish list. Much like Christmas on Earth, our Yuletide is the season of gift-giving."

"I don't know what I could possibly want! I've already got so much!" said Mia plopping down onto the snow and giggling as she moved her arms and legs back and forth.

"Uh... What are you doing, Miandra?" asked Figment as though she had completely lost her mind.

"Making a snow angel," she replied, holding up her arms for her father to help her back up. "See?"

Once she was back on her feet, she pointed to the snow angel she'd left behind.

"Wow, wow, wow!" exclaimed Figment. "I wanna make one, too!"

He threw himself onto the snow and did the same. But when he hovered over it to admire his handiwork, he frowned.

"My angel has horns," he lamented.

"Here," said Mia. She squatted down and, with her finger, traced a horizontal oval above the horns. "Now it has a halo, too."

"Yippie! Do you see, Dreamfinder? I made a snow angel!"

"That's wonderful, Figment! Simply splendid!"

"What should we do next?" asked Mia. "Oh! I know!"

Taking her father by the hand, she pulled him towards a small shop by the pond for ice skate rentals.

"Let's go ice skating!"

"Oh dear... It's been a very long time since I've ice skated," said Blair nervously. "I wonder if I still have a knack for it."

Mia already had her skates on and tied before Blair had even taken his boots off. Blair allowed her to go ahead as he finished lacing up his skates.

"Be careful, sweetheart. Watch for the other people, now."

Mia rolled her eyes as he gave her this fatherly advice, which seemed far more suited to a young child than a grown woman. And yet...

"All right," she said. "Just hurry up, 'kay?"

With those words and the way in which she scampered off onto the ice, she was suddenly very much like a little girl; the little girl he'd never had the chance to raise.

It had been a while since Mia had gone ice skating. She held her arms out at her sides to maintain balance as she wobbled a little, but once she got her ice legs again, she was skating - if not quite like a pro - well enough. Eventually, she was even turning in place on the ice, her skirt flaring out prettily around her ankles.

Blair took his time getting his skates on as he took a moment to watch Miandra skating so innocently and joyously. Once more, he saw her as the young daughter whom he'd been denied. But it would seem he wasn't the only one appreciating his lovely daughter. Some of the young men on the pond were noticing her as well. Now in haste, Blair finished tying his skates and hurried onto the ice. But in his overzealousness, his feet slipped out from under him.

"O-Oh... Oh dear!!"

"Dreamfinder!" Figment flew over to help.

Blair flailed his arms, latching onto Figment, only to end up pulling the small dragon down onto the ice with him.

"Woah!"

"Yipe!"

Down they went, the Blair's top hat landing atop Figment. Wincing, Blair sat up, rubbing his lower back. "Oof..."

Figment lifted the hat off his head. "Dreamfinder, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, Figment."

"You shouldn't go rushing so recklessly onto the ice!" Figment chastised in his childlike voice, which made this admonishment much less effective.

"You're right, my friend," said Blair with an embarrassed smile. "Perhaps I should take it a little easier."

Slowly, Blair got back to his feet and, with much gentler, more graceful sweeps of his feet, he skated to Miandra, taking her hand in his and leading her away from the gawking young men.

"There you are," said Mia. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, just taking my time, dear."

It seemed Miandra hadn't seen him fall. No doubt she would have had a good laugh over it. Lucky for him, he had saved face with her, appearing, as always, the ever suave and heroic Dreamfinder.

"So much for not having skated in a while," she said. "You were just hustling me, weren't you? You skate perfectly fine, Dad."

"You should've seen him a moment ago," Figment snickered.

Blair spun around to shush the tattle-tale dragon. "Figment-" But in so doing, he lost his footing once more and took yet another tumble onto the ice. "Whoaah!"

And so, suavely and heroically, the Dreamfinder wound up on his duff once more.

"Oooh... This is embarrassing."

Mia doubled over with laughter, which didn't do much to help matters, as it only made him blush harder.

"I suppose the power of imagination can't help you with everything, can it?" she teased. Mia took his hands in hers and as she pulled, Figment got behind Blair and pushed. Between the two, they managed to get him back on his feet.

It was quite horribly embarrassing. However, what followed made it all worth it. Keeping both his hands in hers, Mia skated backwards, helping him along. With their hands and eyes locked, and that beautiful smile on her face, Miandra was his world, and he hers. Nothing else seemed to matter.

Soon, his embarrassment melted away and Blair took the lead, he and Miandra skating hand in hand, smiling and laughing with one another. Blair loved his daughter so much, and he couldn't have asked for a more perfect moment.

It was quite possibly the most enjoyable father-daughter day that Mia had ever had, and she'd almost completely forgotten her reason for suggesting it and her need to talk to Blair about getting a message to Edward. On a whimsical world like Dizgaia, forgetting things was quite easy.

When they finished and returned their skates, they each ordered a hot cocoa with marshmallows from the vendor and took a seat on a bench beneath a snow-dusted gazebo decorated with chains of red and white poinsettias. They sat side by side, nursing their hot chocolate and just enjoying one another's company. But in this quiet moment, Mia remembered her ultimate goal for this outing and soon became pensive. Blair noticed her unusual silence and thought to inquire about it, but he feared that prodding her too much might only push her away. If he was patient, perhaps she would confide her thoughts in him.

"Dad," she said finally. "I love you. You know that, right?"

The gaze which accompanied these words was very serious. Almost intense. Whatever had brought this on, it seemed strangely important to her.

"Well, a parent certainly enjoys hearing that their child loves them. But of course. You've never given me any reason to doubt it. And I, of course, love you very much, too, Miandra." He tilted his head, studying her with a worried expression. "Now tell me, dear... What's on your mind?"

Mia took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest part.

"I'm glad you know that. And, see, I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid it might hurt you." Mia hesitated. She'd come this far. She couldn't back out now. "But I have to," she said resolutely. "So here it goes..." She took a deep breath and lowered her gaze to her hot cocoa. "It's about my other dad... Edward."

And so, she told him what she'd been afraid to tell him before, the thing that she'd been holding onto for over a week. She told him of how she'd dreamt of Edward whilst a prisoner on the Jolly Roger, and how the next morning she awoke to a phone call from him, a phone call which should have been impossible and never gone through, of how she'd spoken briefly with him before the signal was soon lost.

"I don't know how it happened," she said, shaking her head. "I don't even know how it's possible. But it made me realize... Since coming to Dizgaia, I'd forgotten all about him and mom. I mean, you know how I feel about mom, and I really don't want to get into that right now. But my dad... that is, Edward... I know he's worried sick. And last I saw him, he was facing down Gaston. I know he must've gotten hurt, but I don't know how badly. And the fact that I forgot all about him and haven't even once considered _his_ feelings and how worried he must be..." Mia trailed off as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I'm a horrible daughter to have forgotten him, and now to bring him up to you like this... I don't deserve either one of you as a father. I've been so selfish!" She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Figment, who had been building little snowmen on the steps of the gazebo, turned his head at the sound of Miandra crying. It was here that another one of his surprising moments of intuition shined once more. As much as he wanted to comfort and cuddle with her, he remained where he was. This was a moment for father and daughter to work things out.

Blair felt a hollow sensation in his heart, not because Mia had brought up Edward, but because of her declaration that she was selfish and that she deserved neither Edward nor himself for fathers. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Miandra, don't say such things. They aren't true. There's nothing you can do to convince me that you don't deserve to have parents who love you more than anything in the world. I know that with everything that's happened, it might become... easy... to lose yourself in this world. And you are certainly not the first person from Earth to have been affected in such a way. There's just so much to process. You're discovering an entirely new world. While being a part of this world is your birthright, forgetting to remember what you left behind on Earth can be an unfortunate side effect."

Blair swallowed hard. There was more he needed to say, but he was almost afraid to say it. But Miandra had been brave to confide in him, and now it was his turn.

"I fear I have a confession for you as well." Blair lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the snowy ground at their feet. "I've been... struggling with this same ordeal, myself. I've been wondering for some time if _I've_ been the selfish one here. I knew your situation, coming from Earth. I knew what happened to Edward. No doubt he's worried about you and wants to know you're all right. But I've just enjoyed having you here, having you back in my life that I didn't consider just what he _and_ your mother are going through. I'm sure they're scared for your well-being. I knew all of this... and I've just kept you to myself. I'm afraid I've done you a terrible disservice. Truly, I've been just as at fault here. And for _my_ selfishness... my dreams have been punishing me."

Blair visibly winced. He wouldn't soon forget that horrible dream in which he kept Miandra locked in a cage while Beverly begged him to let her come home, only for a heroic Edward Baxter to come riding in on his noble steed, dressed like Prince Phillip himself, to rescue his daughter from the evil Blarion Mercurial. And how he, Blair, had turned into a fire-breathing dragon and attacked the heroic Prince Edward whilst Miandra screamed and begged him not to hurt him. That recurring dream had plagued him since week two of Miandra's presence in Dizgaia and had only faded during her time away in Neverland and on Hook's ship when he'd feared for her well-being, and later when she was sick and he feared for her life. But now, the dreams were coming back to him; his guilt had returned to haunt him. But perhaps this admission would ease that guilt just a little.

Mia lowered her head, gazing pensively into her hot cocoa. For a long time, she didn't say anything. Blair began to fear she may be mad at him. But as she lifted her eyes to his, he soon discovered this was not so.

"I suppose we've both been a little selfish," she said quietly, tears in her eyes. "Can we make it right? I-I'd like to let them know I'm okay... whether that means going to visit them or getting a message to them somehow or... or something. Is that possible?"

Blair rubbed the back of his neck as his brow furrowed in consternation. "Normally, in this instance, I would go to Dr. Channing and have them fire up the Rainbow Corridor and do this immediately. However, recent events cause me to hesitate," he admitted. "This resurgence in activity from the Dark Ones, the involvement of the AMPA, not to mention the radical temporal displacement between our worlds... it could be troublesome."

Mia's expression fell into hopeless despair, but Blair raised a finger before she could say anything.

"However," he said. "It's not an impossibility. We would just need to confer with the right people and get permission to go to the other side. Perhaps we can go straight to the top and have a talk with Cindy and Snow over this matter."

"Really? You mean it? You promise?"

"Of course. We'll go first thing tomorrow."

Mia threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Daddy," she whispered.

There is perhaps nothing more special, nothing more vulnerable, than when a grown daughter calls her father 'daddy.' It is a sign of complete reliance and trust in her father, and a desire of the daughter to commend her care and best interests into his hands. Today, Blair and Mia had achieved something truly special. They had reached the pinnacle of their father-daughter relationship, and it seemed nothing would ever bring it down.

"You're absolutely welcome, dearest," Blair murmured, holding Miandra in his arms. "Now," he said, clearing his throat with a small amount of embarrassment. "In the meantime, how about we get this father-daughter-"

"And dragon!" Figment chimed in.

Blair chuckled. "... and dragon day back underway?"

"Absolutely!"

The rest of the day progressed just as pleasantly. Although Mia suspected there wasn't anything else in Epcot or Main Street that her father could show her that would top Progress Park, they nevertheless enjoyed a picnic lunch and went to see an opera, to which they were given balcony seats on account of the fact that Blair was a much beloved public figure. Then, they ended the day uneventfully but no less pleasantly with take-out from Tiana's Palace.

They ate supper in living room in their pajamas, and just before bedtime, Mia and her father curled up on the couch and took turns reading from a mystery novel, with Figment asleep at their feet. It was a father-daughter day to top all father-daughter days, and the ultimate evidence of what everyone had long suspected: Miandra Mercurial was a big-time daddy's girl, and Blarion Mercurial was the most smitten father in all of Dizgaia.


	5. Getting the Message Across

The following morning, Mia awoke bright and early. After assuring her that casual clothes would suffice, Blair drove the steam car to the castle for their meeting with the princesses. Mia wore her new clothes, compliments of Blair, from their father-daughter date yesterday, not the least of which was her proudest accessory – a new leather jacket, which she knew would look positively awesome with her Light Cycle.

The drawbridge was lowered and, as usual, Heptin, the happiest of the seven dwarves who served and protected the princesses, was the first to greet them.

"Friend Dreamfinder! How are you? And my lady! Welcome back!" He took Mia's hand in his and kissed the back of it, making her blush. "It warms my heart to see you returned to us safe and sound."

"Thank you, Heptin," said Mia, smiling at the dwarf who, despite his amicability, was no less formidable in his chain mail and with the axe at his hip.

"Indeed," came a gruff voice. "Heptin speaks for all of us." It was Gargrom, the surliest dwarf of the bunch. To Mia's surprise, he was smiling at her. She didn't think she'd ever seen him smile before.

"It does me good seeing you are alive and well," he said. "Come. Their Royal Highnesses are expecting you."

As they stepped into the vestibule of the castle, they were received by Princess Snow, who had quite the exuberant welcome.

"Miandra!" she cried, throwing her arms around her. "I'm so glad to see you up and about! We've been worried sick! I thought you'd never get better!"

Mia hugged her back, smiling. "I missed you, too, Snow."

"Cindy should be here in a minute," said Snow. "She's having a round table meeting with Agent Royo and some senior members of the AMPA."

"Agent Royo?" said Mia, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

She remembered the strict and intimidating head of the Allied Magical Protection Agency all too well. He was the epitome of a hard-ass. He'd even given Flynn a citation for traveling through the Rainbow Corridor the day he rescued her from Gaston in Disney World.

"Why's _he_ here?" she asked.

"I am here discussing the logistics of your request, Miss Mercurial," came a stern voice from behind her.

Mia and Snow exchanged winces. Agent Royo had just exited the room behind them, and his timing was impeccably awkward. Embarrassedly, Mia turned to face him.

"You already know?" she asked.

It was Blair who answered. "I called ahead, dear, and informed Princess Cindy of your desire to get a message to your parents on Earth," he explained.

"And I summoned Agent Royo, as he is an authority on the risks and safety protocols of interdimensional travel," said Cindy, stepping out from behind Royo. She was dressed in her tunic and breeches with her long, golden hair spun in an elegant braid. "It's good to see you up and about, Miandra. I hope you are well."

"I guess we'll find out," said Mia a little suspiciously. With Royo here, she had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped.

Cindy frowned and stepped aside, gesturing towards the room behind her. "Please... Let's all sit and discuss this."

Mia exchanged a look with her father. Blair's face was grim. Perhaps he was getting the same vibes she was. Already anticipating an unpleasant discussion, Mia followed Cindy and Royo into the room beyond, Blair and Snow taking up the rear.

It was the same room in which they'd sat the first day she'd met Cindy and Snow, when they discussed the Dark Ones and the Order of Yensid. Now, they were discussing Mia's request to go through the Rainbow Corridor to deliver a message to her parents on Earth.

Cindy sat at the head the table, Snow on her right and Agent Royo on her left. Mia and Blair sat across from them. Cindy stared silently at her folded hands before she finally spoke.

"I've been in contact with the 10 Kingdoms, all of whom have been reporting a recent uptick in activity by the Dark Ones. The timing of this increase in activity correlates heavily with your arrival on Dizgaia, Miandra. Small-scale attacks on each of the 10 Kingdoms has led the monarchies to believe that they're all planning to come together for something big. As for what is anyone's guess. But one thing we all agree upon is this: It may – _may_ , mind you – have something to do with _you,_ Miandra."

"With me?"

"Yes," said Cindy. "Why else would Maleficent have sent Gaston to capture you in Disney World? As you and Flynn both attested, he was after you specifically."

"And then, of course, there was the incident with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare," added Royo, his lips a firm line beneath his painter's brush mustache. "They also attempted to kidnap you."

"We can't be certain why they want you or what they intend to do with you," said Cindy. "But we can easily guess it has something to do with who your father is."

Mia glanced at Blair. The Dreamfinder was a famous figure in all of a Dizgaia, and a mighty champion of good and right. Did they wish to capture her as vengeance or leverage to use against him somehow? The daughter of a well-known public figure, and one of their enemies at that, could certainly prove useful in a number of ways. It didn't seem entirely out of the question. And yet...

"What does that have to do with taking a message to my parents on Earth?" she asked.

Royo's eyebrows arched high on his forehead. "Everything," he said. "You've already learned that Maleficent is capable of creating her own interdimensional portals to and from Earth and Dizgaia, a feat she accomplishes, if I'm not mistaken, when the fabric of space and time is stretched particularly thin; a phenomenon that occurs when the Rainbow Corridor is activated. It's no coincidence, Miss Mercurial, that Gaston and Maleficent's goons appeared in Disney World while Kevin Flynn was stationed there. His comings and goings through the Rainbow Corridor have an effect, however brief, on the space-time continuum."

"Yeah, okay. Totally not confused or anything."

"Think of it this way, Miss Mercurial. Imagine a fishing net. It's porous. Penetrable. But the holes are small. Hard for a fish to squeeze through. But what happens if you stretch that net?"

"The holes get bigger."

"Exactly. That's what happens to the fabric of space and time when the Rainbow Corridor is activated. It makes it easier for Maleficent to push through."

"So what?"

"So what?" repeated Royo incredulously, glancing beseechingly at Blair and Cindy. "Miss Mercurial, if you take the Rainbow Corridor to Earth, the space-time fabric thins and Maleficent can also get through!"

"The way I see it, she and I being on Dizgaia at the same time isn't any different than us being on Earth at the same time."

"The difference, Miss Mercurial, is you are far more vulnerable on Earth than here! You are unprotected!"

"Dad can come with me," she insisted, glancing at Blair who lowered his gaze and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Can't you?"

"Well, I _could_ , dear. But you see—"

"What? It's not enough? Then send some bodyguards with me! Send some of your AMPA agents!"

"Miss Mercurial," said Royo, "I'm afraid you don't understand the consequences of—"

"Of what? If you're so worried that Maleficent will come after me on Earth, then send some magic-slinging bodyguards to accompany me!"

"Miss Mercurial, it isn't that simple. There are rules that must be followed when passing between worlds. It isn't enough to simply send some 'magic-slinging bodyguards,' as you so eloquently put it. If such an altercation were to arise on Earth, we would be limited in what we are permitted to do. Surely you must understand that if Maleficent were to track you down and these so-called body guards engaged in a magic-slinging battle, as it were, that any witnesses on Earth would not only be in danger themselves, but it would create mass hysteria."

"But—"

"It's simply too risky."

"But—"

"Therefore, we have decided it would be in everyone's best interest that you do not deliver any messages to Earth at this time."

"What?!" exclaimed Mia, turning her pleading gaze on Cindy.

Cindy sighed and lowered her gaze. "I'm afraid I must defer to Agent Royo on this one, Miandra."

"You can't be serious! What if I didn't want to just pass a message, but I wanted to _return_ to Earth permanently?"

"You don't really mean that, do you, Miandra?" asked Snow, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"Hypothetically speaking," Mia explained, to which she noted both Snow _and_ Blair looked relieved. She turned her gaze back to Royo. "Are you saying you wouldn't allow me?"

"As I said Miss Mercurial... Not at this time."

"So you're saying you'd keep me here against my will?" she said, her voice tremulous. "If that's the case, then how are you any better than the Dark Ones?!"

"It is _because_ of the Dark Ones, Miss Mercurial, that we must keep you safe. It is the responsibility of myself, the princesses, and, in fact, _all_ of Dizgaia to keep you out of their hands. And to do that, we must keep you here where we can keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, well, don't do me any favors, Royo!" she snapped before turning on her heel and fleeing from the room.

"Miandra, wait!"

She heard her father rising to his feet and chasing after her, but she easily outran him. Through the vestibule and out into the courtyard she ran, flying past the guards and passing a bewildered Heptin.

"My lady? Is everything—"

Mia felt bad about brushing off Heptin, but she was in no mood to chat. She had just reached the drawbridge. Now she could hear Cindy's voice as well as her father's, shouting and calling after her. Ignoring them, Mia took the glowing baton out of her jacket pocket and activated her Light Cycle. In a flurry of pixels, the bike took shape around her and she revved the engine to drown out the sound of her pursuers. Before they could reach her, she sped off across the drawbridge and down the winding road which led back into the city.

Eyes stinging with tears, Mia pushed the bike to its greatest speeds. At first, uncertain where she was headed, she inevitably wound up at the Imagination Institute. She knew who she had to see. There was only one person here who understood and empathized with her; only one person left that she could talk to.

Kevin Flynn, Imagineer.

Mia didn't know if Flynn was working on a project or if he was just chilling and getting his zen on, listening to music or what. He may be busy, but she didn't care. She had to see him. He was the only one who understood. And so, she pounded on his office door with both fists, crying out his name, much to the alarm and confusion of all passerby in the hallway.

"FLYNN! FLYNN, OPEN UP, PLEASE! I NEED YOU! COME ON, OPEN UP! PLEASE!"

"Pardon me, Miss."

The voice which spoke was soft-pitched and oddly digital-sounding. Mia turned around. A pair of large, square white eyes peered back at her in a cylindrical metal head.

The person or, rather, _thing_ that had addressed her was a silver and red automaton, hovering in the air in front of her. At first, she was alarmed, but upon closer look, the hovering dome-shaped robot was actually kind of cute. In his silver casing, she saw his designation written in red print. V.I.N.CENT. L.F. 396.

"Um, h-hi, uh, Vincent. Would you happen to know if Flynn's here?"

"Mr. Flynn is not currently in his workspace. You may find him at the Imagineer Lounge Arcade. If you'd like, I could show you the way."

"Um, yeah... I'd like it if you could show me to him, uh, please." She wiped at her eyes, embarrassed. How many people had seen her pounding and crying at Flynn's door? She lifted up the hood of her leather jacket, wearing it low over her eyes, not wanting anyone to see her face.

"This way, Miss Mercurial."

Well, that certainly didn't help matters.

"Gee, thanks for your discretion," she muttered as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, lowered her head, and followed the robot down the hall.

V.I.N.CENT led her up to the second floor and through the atrium, all familiar territory. But then he veered off into a corridor Mia had never noticed before. Beyond was something she hadn't expected – an old-school arcade just like one out of the '80s, dimly lit with seats, tables, and a plethora of classic arcade game cabinets she recognized immediately. If her dad, Edward, could see this now, he'd be in heaven. This reminder of her adoptive father brought fresh tears to her eyes, which she quickly wiped away, only for more to take their place.

"There he is," said V.I.N.CENT, indicating Flynn. "He's been playing Space Paranoids all morning. He's obsessed with keeping the high score at his own game."

Mia spotted Flynn standing at a familiar game which she recognized from the original Tron movie. It was a first-person tank shooter, in which the object was to blast the arch-shaped vehicles known as Recognizers.

"Someone beat his high score the other day," V.I.N.CENT explained. "If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's a sore loser." With that, V.I.N.CENT pivoted and went on his way. "Good day, Miss Mercurial."

Alone in the arcade with Flynn, who had yet to notice her, Mia trudged glumly to the Space Paranoids machine. She stood beside Flynn, saying nothing, just staring at the screen.

Flynn blasted another Recognizer to pieces. The graphics in this version of Space Paranoids certainly didn't resemble the 1980's CGI from the original Tron film. The visuals were far more advanced, resembling modern video game aesthetics. As Flynn fired his tank's weapons and blew another Recognizer apart, he glanced to the side, to see someone standing beside him. A kid, by the looks of it, wearing a leather jacket with a hood pulled over their head.

"Hey, man. You looking to play a little Space Paranoids? You may have to wait until I claim the top spot back from NEC... whoever the hell _that_ is." Flynn returned his focus to the screen. "Shoulda stuck with Pac-Man, NEC," he crowed as he blasted apart another Recognizer.

A sniffling sound came from beneath the hood, followed by a familiar voice. "Probably Dr. Channing," she said without much enthusiasm. "Nigel E. Channing. It's on his nameplate on his office door."

"What? _Channing?_ But he hates video..." Flynn trailed off, realizing who was standing beside him. He released the game controls and turned to her. "Mia?"

There was the sound of an explosion from the console as Flynn's tank was tromped by a Recognizer. He glanced back at the screen.

"Damn it!"

With a sigh, he turned to Mia.

"Jeeze, kiddo. Why didn't you just say..." But he trailed off as he lifted up her hood and saw her tear-streaked cheeks. "Mia... What's the matter? What happened?"

Mia sniffled and wiped a fist across her eyes. "Th-They won't let me go back to Earth to check on my parents. They won't even allow me to send a message through!"

At first, Flynn wasn't sure what she was talking about, but then he recalled their last conversation about her desire to return, briefly, to Earth to pass a message along to her parents.

"They said there's too much activity going on with the Dark Ones in the other kingdoms and that use of the Rainbow Corridor could allow Maleficent to break through. They said I'm not allowed to go _at this time._ But what does that even mean? If not now, then when? Who knows when that could be? And with the temporal imbalance between Earth and Dizgaia, I may never get the chance to tell my dad that I'm okay, and for all I know, he may be..." She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Flynn wrapped his arms around her. "Hey. Hey, now. C'mon.... There's no need for that. Look, they might have a point. It could be dangerous if _you_ went through. Those dark creeps would most likely try to follow _you._ And we don't want them coming after _you._ "

Mia noticed the heavy emphasis he put on the word _you._ She tilted her head and gazed up at him, sniffling. "W-What are you trying to say, Flynn? Are you saying... Are you saying someone else could do it?"

Flynn smiled as he trailed his fingers through her hair. "Oh yes... I'm saying that there's definitely someone else who could do it."

"But who?"

"I'll do it, honey!"

"Y-You will?"

"Sure, no sweat. Before I found you, I was going back and forth through the Rainbow Corridor all the time. Granted, a lot of it was without permission. But still! All I'd have to do is wait until late tonight, sneak into the Imageworks, and go from there. I'd just need you to tell me where they live and I can do the rest."

"You really mean it?" She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered.

A goofy smile came to Flynn's face. He rather enjoyed the position in which he currently found himself. If he could do something to gain Mia's affections, then he'd go to great lengths.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'd be happy to do it! Besides, I've been wanting to go back to Earth for a while. A bit of shopping, if you will."

Mia was so grateful that it was a solid two minutes before she released him from her embrace; though Flynn's hands remained contentedly planted on her hips.

"So hey," he said, "Quit those tears. The other day you said you wanted to hang out, right? So... Let's hang out."

"Flynn..." she said after a time, "It'd be a lot easier to hang out if you let go of my hips, don't you think?"

Flynn glanced down and quickly released her. "Whoops! Sorry. Got caught up in the moment."

Mia turned away, taking the helm at Pac-Man. "All right, then. You handle Space Paranoids and I'll tackle Pac-Man. If this NEC _is_ Dr. Channing, we can't let that hoity toity bureaucrat beat the eminently cool Kevin Flynn and a native Earth girl at Earth videogames, can we?"

Flynn grinned widely. "Hell no, we can't. Let's get to work!"

And so they did. Mia's eyes were fixed to the screen and her hand on the joystick as she chatted with Flynn. "So I guess these videogames are another thing Dizgaia borrowed from Earth, huh?"

"Actually, these games aren't borrowed," he said. "I bought 'em on Earth and brought 'em back here. Now the Imagineers have something fun to do in their downtime. At least the ones who like videogames. Tadashi and Honey Lemon come in here, Szalinski brings his son in from time to time, and you'd be surprised how much Jeffrey likes pinball."

"Jeffrey? You mean the penguin likes pinball?" Mia wanted to ask how exactly a penguin managed to play pinball, but thought, perhaps, it would be rude to do so. "I'm surprised you don't have the Tron game in here."

"Actually, I _do_ own it. Discs of Tron, too. I just don't have them here. Might seem just a bit egotistical if I brought in the games based on the Disney flick loosely inspired by my life."

"Or maybe you're just afraid that ol' NEC might beat you at your own games," she teased.

Flynn gave her a look and she laughed.

"Kidding, kidding. But no, really, I get it. So where _are_ your Tron games?"

"They're back at my place in Downtown Main Street," Flynn replied, getting down to business with Space Paranoids as Mia beat level one of Pac-Man.

"In that case, I guess I'll have to visit you at your place some time," she said without taking her eyes away from the screen.

Flynn lifted an eyebrow, unable to hide his grin. Now _there_ was an idea he rather liked. But before he could pursue this conversation any further, Mia belted out a stream of curse words that would make even a pirate avert his gaze in embarrassment. Flynn's eyes went wide and he snorted back laughter.

"Wow. That was _not_ something I was expecting to slip out of the mouth of the Dreamfinder's daughter. Good job."

"That little pink ghost always cuts me off! Ugh! At least I've got two more Pac..." She tilted her head quizzically. "Hmm... What do you think is the plural of Pac-Man? Pac-Mans or Pac-Men?"

"Well, I suppose that depends. Is Pac-Man his name... or is Pac-Man his race? Or his species? I figure, if his name _is_ actually Pac-Man, then the plural would be Pac-Mans. But if he is _a_ Pan-Man, then I think it's Pac-Men."

Mia laughed. "If someone told me four months ago that one day I'd be discussing the plural pronunciation of Pac-Man with Kevin Flynn, I would've told them they're insane."

Time passed by cheerfully, and with Flynn's promise of getting a message to her parents, it really did seem like Mia was all smiles and giggles again.

An explosion echoed from the Space Paranoids game, followed by a shout of delight from Flynn.

"Gotcha, ya scuzzy Recognizer!"

"That's just like what your character says in the Tron movie," said Mia with a hint of amusement in her voice. "'Come on, you scuzzy data, be in there,'" she said, doing her best Kevin Flynn impression.

Flynn wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the bizarrely meta nature of her comment, though what followed brought a smile to his face.

"Oh man, you're so freaking cute! I love it!"

She hadn't called him cute since before they both left Disney World through the Rainbow Corridor, which felt like so long ago now. But it was quite possible Mia didn't even realize what she was saying, as she was still fully engaged in Pac-Man.

"You know," she said thoughtfully. "Tron is one of my dad's favorite movies. Being a younger Disney fan, I probably wouldn't have even seen the original film if not for..." She trailed off, drifting back into melancholia. "... if not for my dad."

Flynn could swear he heard her sniffling again, but when he cast a glance her way, she had not relinquished Pac-Man, not even to wipe her eyes, determined as she was to top NEC's score. She kept on playing, so Flynn did as well.

"I'll get your message to him, Mia," he said over the sound of another exploding Recognizer. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll let him know that you're okay."

Mia smiled and nodded, not removing her teary gaze from the screen. "I know you will, Flynn," she said softly, showing just how much absolute trust she had in him to be her hero again. "And thanks."

When next Mia spoke, several minutes later, it was to celebrate a victory.

"BOOM! Take that, NEC!" she exclaimed as she typed her initials into the leaderboard. "I bumped Mr. Might-Be-Nigel-Channing down a notch on Pac-Man!"

"You're pretty damn good at Pac-Man, honey! I wouldn't have taken you for the Pac-Addict type."

"Yeah... that's also thanks to my dad. _He's_ the Pac-Man addict. He raised me on a bunch of old games. I think the two of you would get along really well, which is why I think you're the perfect one to pass the message on to him, that I'm okay, you know?" She joined Flynn beside the Space Paranoids machine. "So how's it coming?" she asked, watching as he guided his first-person tank through a narrow passageway and into a wide chasm.

In lieu of an answer, Flynn faced down three Recognizers, shooting one in the leg, causing it to drift into the one swooping in from the right. But before he could get the one on the left, his tank was blasted, resulting in a game over. Flynn lost the game, but his initials had overtaken NEC's high score on the leaderboard. Flynn glanced at Mia with a grin.

"It's all... in... the wrists."

Mia flushed and averted her gaze. "Yeah... so I've heard," she mumbled.

Her reaction did not go unnoticed. Flynn had almost forgotten he'd used those exact words all those months ago when the two of them were starting to get frisky with one another on the Grid, and now those words had an unintended effect on Mia. She chewed her lip, looking contemplative.

"Listen, Flynn, I..." She stopped, hesitated, and lowered her gaze, rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh... H-How about we go get a coffee or something? Give our thumbs a break."

"Coffee? Sure. I'd dig one. Anywhere specific you wanna go? Or were you thinking like the cafeteria or something?"

"Maybe somewhere outside the Institute," she said quietly, her eyes darting around nervously to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "After all, I've got to give you some information so you can do this... favor... for me. So it might be best if we were away from prying eyes and ears."

"Oh. Yeah... of course."

Flynn was disappointed, to say the least. At first, he had thought there was a chance, given the way she was acting, that she might have wanted to take the time to actually talk about what was happening between the two of them – because in truth, Flynn didn't really know what was happening. He didn't really know where they stood. After all, since the night Yokai appeared and subsequently vanished without a trace, they really hadn't had any opportunity to figure things out. But perhaps... perhaps once this was all done and she saw just what lengths he was willing to go for her, then... _then_ they could talk about it.

"I know a place," he said. "You got your Light Cycle? Let's roll."

Flynn led Mia through the bustling and much more frenetic streets of Epcot, until they came to a place called Sparky's Diner. It had a retro '50's diner feel to it and yet also futuristic – mainly due to the fact that the staff was fully automated. As they went to find a booth, Mia peered in through the open window of the kitchen. A saucer-shaped robot with multiple arms was flipping several burgers at once.

"Woah."

As they took their seats, they were greeted by quite the curiosity – a mechanical body with a computer monitor for a head. On the screen was the friendly face of a man in his 30s with long, wavy blonde hair and a baseball cap with a lightbulb on it. This was Sparky.

"Hiya, folks! Welcome to Sparky's Automated diner, where your perfect meal is just one little..." The lightbulb atop his head gave a flash. "... spark away!"

"Uh, yeah, hey man," said Flynn, "I know everyone really loves your puns..." To Mia, Flynn didn't sound very sincere. "But that one's teetering on copyright infringement."

On the screen, Sparky tilted his head curiously. "Oh, surely you must be mistaken."

Smirking, Flynn gestured to Mia. "May I introduce Miandra Mercurial... The Dreamfinder's daughter."

Mia gave him a little wave. "I guess you could say I'm his _little_ _spark_ of inspiration."

Sparky's eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. For a moment, his screen flickered, but once it righted itself, he replied in a much less cheerful tone. "Duly noted. My mistake. What can I get you folks?"

Once they'd placed their orders and Sparky departed, Mia and Flynn discussed their plans. Although they were miles away from the Imagination Institute, they still spoke in hushed voices, afraid someone might overhear and report them. Mia told Flynn exactly where it was her parents lived, writing the address down for him on a napkin.

"I'll tell you one thing, honey," he said. "I do _not_ want you coming with me tonight. You gotta stay home. After all, if you aren't home tonight, your dad's suspicions will probably be at an all-time high."

Mia frowned. "I guess that makes sense. But, I mean, couldn't I just hide in The Grid or something? Hang out with Tron until you get back? I kinda don't want to go home. If I were to be honest... I'm not really feeling like dealing with Blair right now. With _any_ of them," she said sourly, taking a bitter sip of coffee.

Flynn shook his head. "See, here's how I see it. I _would_ say yes. I would. But, if you don't go home tonight, Blair's gonna freak, and he'll look everywhere for you. Not only would he probably have the royals issue an all-points bulletin to the Royal Police for your whereabouts, but he may _actually_ come looking for me. Especially after we spent the night out. And if he can't find you _or_ me... he's gonna know something's up. So, really, I just don't see it working out that way."

"I guess you're right," she said glumly. "I just really hate this. I wish I could come with you. I mean, do you really think it's _that_ likely that the Dark ones would come after me if I went back to Earth just for a little while?"

Flynn leaned in close, not wishing to speak on such a matter too loudly. "We don't even really know what their games is, Mia. That witch, Maleficent... She and the others seem obsessed with you. First, they wanted to squash your spark. Then they tried to kidnap you." He sighed and shook his head remorsefully. "I can't fight them, honey. It's one thing to help you get away from Gaston and some goons. But if some heavy hitter came our way, I don't have the ability to protect you from them. It's really best if you stay here and let me take care of everything."

Mia smiled faintly. "It takes a brave man to admit that, Flynn." She sighed, trailing her finger around the rim of her coffee mug. "All right... Well, how long do you think you'll be gone? It wouldn't be very long on our side, right?"

"Now that right there, sweetheart, is the million cereni question," he said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms behind his head. "I couldn't tell you what the actual time difference between Dizgaia and Earth is. The only consistent is that it's _inconsistent_. It's always in some kind of temporal flux. For instance, it was once recorded that one Dizgaian year was equal to about ten Earth years. Though, at another point (for example, during the time you were away, living on Earth) one Dizgaian year was three and a half Earth years. Meaning, five years passed over here while you were on Earth, but about 18 years passed over there, right? Either way, the one thing that's certainly always true is that time is slower here than on Earth."

"And if my mother and father met in 1937 on Earth when he brought her here to Dizgaia, married her, and had me, I'd assume that was, what, five, six Dizgaian years? At least according to how long Dad told me they were married before they had me. But when Mom returned to Earth, it was 1997. So that's like 60 years." She took a contemplative sip of coffee. "Hmm... It'd be interesting to look at all the recorded time differences. It may never be consistent or predictable, but it almost sounds like the time difference is decreasing, doesn't it?"

"Huh," said Flynn, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I guess I never really considered that. Wild observation there, kiddo. That may be worthy of further study. Anyway, in the case of my personal trips to Earth, I was never gone that long on either end. Sometimes I was on Earth for like a week or two, and only about a day had passed over here. I'm gonna hit you up with a cosmic estimate and say... if it takes me about a week to do this on Earth, I should be gone for maybe an hour. Two hours, tops!"

"A few hours," Mia mused. "All right. That's not so bad. But in any case, Flynn, be careful. All right?"

"Hey, I'll be okay. After all, this isn't my first traipse into another world. Though, something _has_ crossed my mind."

"What is it?"

"Out of curiosity, is there anything you'd like me to say to Edward? Anything that'll really let him know you're okay?"

Mia lowered her gaze pensively. "You know, I've been thinking of that. There's really so much I want to tell him. I thought about writing a letter and having you give it to him, but then I wondered if maybe that would look bad... like my supposed kidnappers forced me to write a letter for appearances, you know?" She chewed her lip as another thought struck her. "Incidentally, you'll have to be careful how you approach this, Flynn. Depending on how you do it, he might think _you_ kidnapped me."

She tilted her head thoughtfully, then began to laugh.

"Actually, come to think of it, technically speaking, you did! I mean _technically!_ " she said, laughing even harder at the expression on his face.

A couple people sitting at the diner counter turned their gazes on him. Flynn glared back at them.

"What? Never heard of a girl happy to be kidnapped? Go back to your chili, pal."

"Anyway," said Mia, growing serious once more. "There's so much I'd like you to tell him. Yes, that I'm okay. That I love him. That I'm sorry I can't come back. That maybe someday I can come to him, or maybe he can come to me or... or... Oh, I don't know, Flynn. This would be so much easier if I could do it."

Flynn opened his mouth to reply, but she swiftly cut him off.

"I know, I know. I can't. I get it," she said before he could reiterate the dangers of doing so.

Mia lowered her gaze and was quiet for a long time. Flynn waited patiently until she finally worked out what she wanted him to tell Edward.

"Tell him I'm with the Dreamfinder," she said solemnly. "And if he doesn't believe you..."

She trailed off, pensive once more. When she returned her gaze to him, she spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Tell him the truth exists somewhere in between."

~~~

Later that night, Flynn rode his Light Cycle back to the Institute. This was not going to be a matter of just waltzing in through the front door. No, this was going to be a touch more complicated. This time of night, the Imageworks lab was usually locked up from the inside of the facility. However, attached to the lab was a large metal door which led to a back lot where materials could be imported or exported without having to move through the building. It was through here Flynn intended to enter.

Flynn looked around, making sure no one spotted him as he stood in front of the security-locked entrance. He didn't have clearance to open this door. But he didn't need it. Flynn placed his phone against the security lock, accessing an app which proceeded to 'pick the lock.' With an affirmative beep, the massive metal door slid open.

"Now _that_ is a big door," he said to himself as he slipped inside.

Once inside the Imageworks lab, Flynn booted up the Rainbow Corridor with the help of his phone as he had in Disney World when he first met Mia. Thick, pipe-like cables attached to the metallic archway illuminated with rainbow energy flowing through them, drawing energy directly from the Gaia Sphere. Soon, the Rainbow Corridor burst to life in a swirling vortex of colors.

"I shouldn't be that long," murmured Flynn, steeling himself for the task at hand. "No way any of those dark creeps would even notice."

But was he saying these words aloud just to convince himself of their validity?

Taking a deep breath, Flynn plunged into the mystical portal. Slowly, the swirling light dissipated until the Rainbow Corridor was nothing but a plain, metallic archway once more. Flynn was gone.

~~~

Mia didn't hear from Flynn the next day. Perhaps he'd gotten back late from his trip and zonked out immediately after returning home. So even though she was eager to hear how his interaction with Edward went, she waited. And waited. But when afternoon fell into evening, she was beginning to worry.

A quick trip to the Imagination Institute just before closing allowed her to peruse the employee register and locate Flynn's address. Then, astride her Light Cycle, she took off for Downtown Main Street and located Flynn's apartment. It was a modest little bachelor pad above a pool hall accessed by way of an exterior door on the side of the building. The only way to get in through the door was to press the buzzer and speak to the occupant on the intercom, who would then have the door unlocked remotely and permit you entry. But no matter how many times Mia rang the buzzer for Flynn, he would not answer.

A man was leaning against the building just outside the pool hall, having a smoke. Mia hailed him.

"Hey! Do you know if Kevin Flynn is home?"

"If he ain't answerin' the buzzer, sweetheart," said the man with his cigarette hanging halfway out his mouth, "Then he ain't home." He's eyes swept over her appreciatively. "I'm here, though. Wanna come inside? I'll buys yeh a drink."

"Uh, no thanks," she said before hopping on her bike and taking off down the street. Flynn sure had some shady neighbors.

The next day passed in similar fashion. There was no sign, heads or tails, of Flynn. Mia even went to his office at the Imagination Institute, but it was the same as with his apartment. She asked Tadashi and Honey Lemon if they'd seen Flynn lately, but neither had seen him.

"Not for a couple days at least," said Tadashi. "He skips work sometimes, or just works from home. But it's unusual for him to be gone this long. Hope he's okay."

When yet another day passed, Mia was beginning to panic. It would seem Flynn hadn't returned from the other side yet. But why? Could something have happened? Maybe Agent Royo was onto something when he spoke of the risks posed by using the Rainbow Corridor with the Dark Ones being so active. Mia thought they would only come after _her,_ but what if they went after _Flynn?_

She needed to ease her fears or at least get someone to investigate the situation. She didn't want to tell her father, nor the princesses, and certainly not Agent Royo. They had expressly forbidden it and she'd blatantly defied them. That left only one other person. And thus, Mia found herself knocking on, of all doors, the one belonging to Dr. Channing.

"Just one moment," he called from the other side of the door. "Coming in a second..."

But if the other sounds from behind the door were any indication, it would seem he was up to something peculiar in there. Mia pressed her ear to the door. She heard a sound like several very small objects clattering together, and she could hear Channing cursing as he attempted to, presumably, put whatever it was away in a hurry.

"Bloody hell... Get in there..."

Mia could only guess what he was tooling around with, and she was coming up empty.

With the sound of a drawer being closed, the door to Dr. Channing's office soon slid open. Mia quickly jumped back so as not to be caught eavesdropping. There stood Nigel Channing, looking somewhat harried and doing his best to straighten himself out.

"Well hello, Miss Mercurial! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to my humble office today?"

He was all smiles as he gazed down at her. Mia wasn't sure if he legitimately liked her or if he was just always eager to impress her in an effort to impress her father by proxy – which was ironic, seeing that, as chairman, he technically outranked her father, at least at the Institute. But when it came down to it, her father, Blair Mercurial, was a very remarkable person. And Dr. Channing was... well... not.

Clearing her throat, Mia said a little more tremulously than she would have liked, "Um... Dr. Channing... could I, um, talk to you? Privately?"

"Well, of course. Please. Come in, come in."

Feeling awkward and a little nervous, Mia entered Channing's office. It wasn't as large as her father's. After all, her father had customized his office with a bit of Imaginergy, adding a small lounge for sleeping and a private bathroom. Of course, he'd also been living in his office once upon a time. Channing's office was smaller, but by no means modest. It was certainly an office befitting the person holding the title of chairman, with a large fancy desk, matching chair, and framed certifications, awards, and diplomas as well as personal pictures on the walls. Many were pictures of Nigel smiling and shaking hands with people of note. A particular once which stood out was that of a younger Dr. Channing standing in front of the Imagination Institute beside an older bearded scientist with a pair of thick-framed glasses and a thinner, younger, less beardly version of her father.

"Who's that?" asked Mia, indicating the older man in the glasses.

"Hm? Oh, that's Dr. Walter Gibbs. He was a very well-known professor at Medfield College and taught many of our most brilliant Imagineers. These days he spends his retirement in Paridon, acting as a consultant to science students at Kingstone College. But," he said, smiling and wagging a finger at her, "That is not what you came here to talk to me about, I think."

Channing took a seat behind his polished oak desk, crossing one leg over the other as he arched his fingers together over the top of his desk. He looked as if he was posing for a magazine cover, always looking like he wanted to impress.

"Please. Have a seat," he said, motioning to the leather-clad chair across from of him. "Tell me what's on your mind, dear."

Mia took a seat and gazed down at her lap, twiddling her fingers nervously. "W-Well, I... I have a problem. A big problem. I'm really worried about..." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Well, see, I may have done something really stupid and got in over my head. Me _and..._ uh, s-someone else. I don't know who else to go to. You're the only one I could think of. But the thing is..." Mia lifted her gaze to Channing, her eyes pleading with him. "You have to promise not to tell my dad, and you have to promise not to get mad, okay?"

Channing's eyebrows lifted. "Well... this sounds quite serious, Miandra. Are you certain we shouldn't ask you father for help in all this?"

Mia shook her head. "No. I'd really rather not. I understand if you feel morally obligated to tell him whatever I tell you, but if that's the case, then I can't talk about it, and I'll have to just keep it to myself. So please tell me now whether or not we can keep this confidential."

Channing nodded. "All right. Whatever it is, we'll keep this between us... and I'll do whatever I can to help. Please, tell me... What's going on, dear?"

"Okay... And remember, you promised not to get mad." Mia took a deep, tremulous breath, and finally it all came out at once. "I wanted to get a message to my parents on Earth to let them know I'm okay, but Agent Royo basically forbid it, and my dad didn't stick up for me at all. I was super upset because I know they're worried about me – my parents, that is. They probably think I've been kidnapped or worse. I just couldn't accept their answer, so I... well, I, uh, sorta told Flynn and he, um, sorta, kinda went through the Rainbow Corridor to take the message there for me."

Channing's jaw dropped. He looked as though he were about to say something, but Mia interjected.

"Don't get mad!" she said quickly. "Please don't get mad!"

Oh, how she begged and pleaded with him with those large puppy dog eyes of hers! Slowly, Channing closed his mouth. He pressed his arched index fingers against his lips and slowly nodded, muttering his 'mm-hms' as she continued.

"The thing that I'm really freaking out about is that Flynn said he should only be gone for a few hours, but it's been _days_! And now I'm afraid... Well, I'm afraid something might have happened to him. Agent Royo warned me that the Dark Ones could break through the space-time fabric and get to the other side when the energy from the Rainbow Corridor was used, which is why they didn't allow me to go. But I didn't think... Well, _Flynn_ and I didn't think they'd pay him much notice. But now... now I'm worried that maybe... maybe..." She buried her face in her hands and broke into tears. "If anything's happened to him, it'll be all my fault! I'll never forgive myself! Wh-what if... what if he's..." But whatever else she intended to say was drowned out by her sobs.

"Oh... uh... oh dear. Miss Mercurial... Miandra..."

Channing seemed unaccustomed to comforting crying teenage girls. Stammering awkwardly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and did his best to reassure her.

"It'll be alright. I tell you what I can do. I'll get some of the Imagineers together and run some tests, see if we can't find out whether or not our friend Flynn is okay."

Mia gazed up at him with tear-glistening eyes. "R-Really? You can do that?"

"When Flynn finally comes home... I'll be the first person to greet him and make sure that he's unharmed," he said with a winning smile. "If we find that something has become of him, then I'll see that the proper authorities are informed and they can do everything they can to make sure Flynn comes home safe and sound." Channing moved his hand over Mia's and patted it gently. "Don't you worry. I'll make sure that Flynn is back where he belongs."

Mia managed to muster up a smile for him. "Thanks, Dr. Channing," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I really appreciate it."

Channing smiled his most winning smile. "Oh, absolutely, dear. After all, we wouldn't want any trouble to befall our friend, Flynn. Don't you worry about a thing. I'll have the Rainbow Corridor put under constant surveillance."

Mia rose to her feet, turned to leave, but then hesitated and turned back to him, shaking his hand. "I'm feeling a little better already. I'm glad I told someone. And remember," she said, her expression serious. "You promised."

"Oh, of course. Of course. Don't you worry. I'll have everything soon under control. Rest assured, Flynn will be just fine."

He seemed more than accommodating. So accommodating, in fact, that Mia wondered why she'd ever been worried about telling him the truth. Channing always had a kind word for her. He was always trying to impress her. Why wouldn't he be willing to help her?

Channing placed his hand on the small of Mia's back and steered her towards the door. Then, reaching past her, he pushed the door open.

"And of course, I won't say a word to your father," he assured her.

"Thanks again, Dr. Channing," she said, hardly realizing that he was ushering her out of his office. "And keep me posted on everything if you can, okay?"

"Why, absolutely. Once Flynn is safe... you'll know."

With a kind but harried smile, he gently pushed her into the hallway. A polite but short farewell was given and the door to the office shut. For a moment, Mia stood staring at the closed door, feeling rather bewildered by the sudden dismissal. But then again, Channing was a busy man who had a lot on his plate, especially now that Mia had laid out yet another task for him to perform. Shrugging, Mia went on her way, feeling confident that Dr. Channing would take care of everything.

Inside the office, Channing pressed his ear against the door. Once the sound of receding footsteps signaled Miandra's departure, he nodded to himself, his expression turning grim.

"Oh, Flynn... You'll get the help you need," he muttered. "Absolutely."


	6. Somewhere in Between

Snow was falling softly over northern Wisconsin and Edward was fighting with the tinsel. It kept getting snagged on the ornaments instead of draping over the piney boughs like it was supposed to.

_Why am I even bothering with this?_

Christmas was a week from tomorrow, and the tree had remained bare until today, when he'd finally decided to make an attempt at decorating. There just didn't seem much of a point in it... not without Mia. She had been missing for almost a year now, and this would be their first Christmas without her.

Edward wished he could say it was because she'd decided to have Christmas elsewhere, perhaps with a college boyfriend or something of the sort. In a perfect world, that would be the only reason father and daughter would be separated on Christmas. But missing... kidnapped... possibly worse... Edward dare not think it. Still, he couldn't help at least trying to do _something_ for Christmas. He liked to think he was doing it for Mia. He knew she'd be disappointed if he didn't put up the tree.

Beverly was another story. She didn't want to do or look at anything that reminded her of Mia. She couldn't seem to handle it. Beverly had thrown herself into her work, taking any and all shifts at the hospital. She was barely ever home anymore. It was the only way she knew how to cope, to escape when things got too painful.

In his fight with the tinsel, Edward backed into one of the tree's branches and knocked off an ornament. Cursing, he tossed the tinsel away and bent down to pick up the ornament. It was made of cardboard with dried macaroni shaped like a star and spray-painted gold. Mia had made it years ago in elementary school. On the back, it read, _To Daddy, Love Mia._ This was his undoing. Edward collapsed onto the couch. With the ornament in one hand, he covered his face with the other and heaved a ragged, unmanly sob.

~~~

Flynn had not anticipated snow. Not when he departed from Florida on a flight to Wisconsin. Then again, after seeing the way Walt Disney World was decked out, he'd also not accounted for it being Christmas time. Further investigation revealed a most peculiar thing. Apparently, only a year had passed on Earth. That wasn't really much of a difference from the four or five months which had passed on Dizgaia. This had _never_ happened. Normally, there was such a drastic difference between the two! But now, that difference was lessened. It almost made Flynn want to turn back and report this to Blair, Channing, _anyone_ who would listen. But he'd made a promise. And he intended to keep it.

Thus, after a flight from Orlando to Milwaukee, and after checking into a hotel, Flynn plugged the address Mia had given him into his Light Cycle's GPS and began the long drive to northern Wisconsin. Flynn had designed a 'skin' add-on to his Light Cycle, which camouflaged it so as to appear like a regular motorcycle. He couldn't afford to draw too much attention.

Gradually, busy streets turned to winding country roads as Flynn found himself driving into more rural territory. He passed forests and farmland and drove across a covered bridge until finally he arrived at the Baxter homestead. It was a charming Cape Cod with lots of land, at least a couple acres. Pine trees and a frozen creek bed completed the image of a warm family home set in a crisp, wintry landscape.

Flynn cut the Light Cycle's engine and smiled as he gazed upon the home in which Mia had grown up. It really looked like the home of a loving family. That's when it hit him. What if Beverly was home? He hadn't interacted too much with Mia's mother when she lived with Blair in Dizgaia, but he'd met her a couple times. She knew who he was, and even if she had aged since then, he knew he would recognize her.

Beverly was a beautiful, warmhearted woman, at least back when he'd known her. But she also had a bit of an edge to her. And the way Mia spoke of her now, it seemed Beverly may have lost some of her more innocent and creative qualities that had first attracted the Dreamfinder to her. Moreover, she had left Blair and taken Mia with her to Earth. How would she react when Flynn arrived to tell them that Mia was back in Dizgaia with the Dreamfinder? She may be furious.

Flynn wasn't looking forward to inciting the woman's wrath, but he supposed if Beverly _was_ here, at least it would make things easier to explain. Right now, just having Edward to deal with was going to be difficult enough. Flynn was still trying to figure out how he was going to break it to him.

"C'mon, Flynn," he muttered. "No time to back out now. Be a man, man."

Flynn drew a deep breath as he dismounted his Light Cycle. Mustering his courage, he climbed the steps to the front porch and rang the doorbell. Minutes passed. Was it possible no one was home? Was this trip going to be a bust? Had he come all this way for nothing? Panicking, for he hated the thought of failing Mia, Flynn rang the doorbell again.

A shuffling sound just behind the door alerted Flynn that someone was coming. When the door opened, Flynn came face to face with a man in his mid 40s, who may have been handsome, if it weren't for the unkempt hair and bloodshot eyes. He had a five o'clock shadow bordering on full-on scruffy, like he just didn't care. He wore blue jeans and an oversized Christmas sweater which looked like a gift that a little kid with no sense of size would give their father for Christmas. It hung off one shoulder, revealing a Pac-Man T-shirt underneath.

_Yep, this is Mia's dad, all right._

Edward Baxter scrutinized the young man who stood on his porch.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Baxter... Uh... Well..." Flynn was stumbling, not entirely sure how to start. He cleared his throat and proceeded. "My name is Flynn..."

_Kevin Flynn. You know, from Disney's Tron movie? Yeah, I'm a real person. So anyway..._

He couldn't say that.

"Flynn Bradley." That sounded good enough. _Help me out here, Alan._ "I'm an employee with WED Enterprises... Walt Disney Imagineering. Uh... might I have a moment of your time?"

"This is about my daughter, isn't it? Of course it is. Haven't you people 'apologized' enough? I mean, it's kind of you, but apologies only go so far. If you'd like to help, you folks _could_ help pay for all the detective work going into finding my daughter."

These words brought with them a pang of guilt as Flynn recalled Mia's joke that, technically, _he'd_ been the one to kidnap her. He knew that wasn't entirely true, that there were mitigating circumstances, and yet... looking at this man, why did he feel like he had?

Edward let out a long sigh. "But it's Christmas. So what the hell? Come on in, I guess." He turned away and went back inside, leaving the door open and trusting Flynn to follow.

Flynn kicked the snow off his boots before stepping over the threshold, closing the door behind him. The inside of the Baxter house was warm and inviting... or at least it would be if Flynn didn't have an inkling of the sorrow that lurked beneath the eaves and in every corner. As he entered the sitting room, he was greeted with several smiling faces belonging to a girl he knew very well. Pictures of Mia hung all over the walls, all from different stages of her life.

Toddler pictures of Mia in nothing but a diaper with food smeared over her chubby cheeks, a grade school Mia smiling as best she could without her two front teeth, a picture of Mia dressed up for what looked to be her high school prom, standing back to back with a female friend, as they made gun shapes with their fingers like something out of an old crime drama. Was it wrong for him to feel relieved that she'd gone to her prom without a date? Then, of course, there was Mia in her cap and gown for her high school graduation, a version much closer to the girl he knew now.

Seeing all these framed pictures on the wall, Flynn just felt even more awful. Not just for Edward, who lost his adopted daughter, but for Blair. These were images of the Miandra that Blarion Mercurial never knew. Flynn was getting a glimpse of Mia's childhood in a way that The Dreamfinder never had.

"Can I get you anything, Mr. Bradley? I've got some eggnog. If that doesn't strike your fancy, you can have what I'm having." Edward lifted up a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Pick your poison."

Flynn shook his head. "Just Flynn is fine. And no... uh... no thanks. I think it'd be best if I just got to the nitty gritty and addressed why I'm here."

"Ah. Right. You Disney types wouldn't be big drinkers, would you? Me neither," said Edward, taking a swig of Jack Daniels to contradict his statement. "At least not till recently," he murmured, gazing forlornly into the bottle as though ashamed of himself.

Flynn could easily guess the reasons. Though he rarely drank, there was a time he did nothing but, namely after Alan's death. Clearing his throat nervously, Flynn gestured to the sitting room.

"May I?"

Edward shrugged and gestured to the couch. Flynn took a seat next to an end table upon which sat a single handmade child's ornament which read, _To Daddy, from Mia._ A quick glance at the tree would show that Mia's father had made an attempt at keeping Christmas alive despite his daughter's absence, only to give up. It was quite a disaster.

Edward took a seat across from Flynn. "So what exactly is the nitty gritty?" he asked. "You're either here to apologize or to tell me what I already know – my daughter's still missing, and no one at Disney knows where she is."

Flynn ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be complicated. He grit his teeth before pressing forward.

"Your daughter, Mr. Baxter..." Flynn turned his gaze down to the floor, unable to meet Edward's. "Your daughter isn't missing. Mia... Mia is all right."

At first, Edward just stared at him. Then, the bottle of Jack Daniels slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

"What?"

He seemed barely able to speak above a whisper. Suddenly, he rose from his chair and was across the room, yanking Flynn to his feet and pulling him in for a hug.

"Oh, thank God! Thank you!"

A small smile came to Flynn's face as Edward, with tears in his eyes, held him at arms' length, his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Where is she? Where did you find her?" He was practically shaking Flynn in his excitement.

"Well, you see... that's where things get kinda... complicated. She's..."

Oh damn. Just what was he going to say? This was going to be harder than he thought.

Flynn lowered his gaze. "She's... somewhere you can't go, Mr. Baxter."

Edward's arms fell to his side. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Flynn hated the way he was handling this, but he didn't know if he could tell Edward what was really going on. Edward wouldn't be able to handle the truth. He might think Flynn was some maniac who kidnapped his daughter.

Edward's eyes widened as though he'd just had an epiphany. Suddenly, he was on Flynn again; his hands clamped around the lapels of Flynn's leather jacket and shook him violently.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he demanded. "DID YOU TAKE HER? WERE YOU THE MAN ON THE PHONE? GIVE HER BACK TO ME!"

It was just as Flynn feared, and what Mia had warned him about. Edward thought _he_ had kidnapped Mia. Edward gave Flynn another hard shake before sending him tumbling back into the couch.

"You've got two minutes to explain yourself or I call the police!"

Flynn had to do something. Edward was practically rabid. He hovered dangerously over Flynn, his fists clenched at his sides. He looked like he was entirely serious about calling the police.

Flynn raised his hands. "Hey, man! Cool it, all right! She's..." _And here it goes._ "She's... with The Dreamfinder."

For a moment, Edward's fists unclenched and his hard expression turned to one of bewilderment. "I'm sorry... the what? Did you just say... The Dreamfinder?"

Flynn wasn't sure just how this was going to go over with Edward. Busting out the Dreamfinder's name was Mia's idea. It was what she had told Flynn to tell her father. 'I'm with The Dreamfinder' she said to tell him.

"That's the message that Mia told me to pass on to you. She's with The Dreamfinder. And there's nowhere safer that Mia could possibly be than with that man, lemme tell you."

For a moment, Edward didn't speak. Then, in a low tone, he said, "Is this some kind of joke?"

_Well, what did you expect to happen, Flynn? That he'd just accept 'being with the Dreamfinder' as a real explanation?_

Nevertheless, Flynn did his best to convince him.

"No. It's no joke, man. I can explain everything. Hey!!"

Edward had grabbed Flynn by the shirt collar and was yanking him to his feet and dragging him to the front door. For a man who was about 15 years Flynn's senior, Edward Baxter was surprisingly strong.

"You may think it's funny to play pranks on a man who's lost the most important thing in his life, but I'm not laughing, you punk." And to Flynn's horror, there were tears in Edward's eyes. "You leave me and my family the hell alone. Do you understand?"

"No, wait! Look... there's another world. Like another dimension, man... where the characters you know from Disney movies are real people! I'm one of them! My name is Kevin Flynn!"

But Edward wasn't having any of it. He opened the front door and tossed Flynn unceremoniously out onto the front porch. Flynn staggered before regaining his footing. He spun around, placing his hand against the front door before Edward could slam it shut.

"Please! Listen to me! For Mia's sake, you've got to believe me!"

"Why are you doing this?" Edward demanded. "Do you get some sort of sick pleasure out of torturing others? Well, you'd better hope you make it big with Space Paranoids, _Kevin Flynn,_ because when I go back inside, I'm making a call to your superiors and letting them know what you've been doing, and it'll be _end of line._ You catch my drift, _man?_ "

Edward shoved Flynn's arm away from the door and was ready to slam it in his face. Flynn had to act fast before it was too late.

"No, wait! The truth, man... The truth is somewhere in between!"

Edward hesitated in the doorway. His face had gone from an angry red to white as a sheet.

"Wh-What did you say?"

_"This book's a lot different from the movie."_

_"Well, sweetie, Mr. Walt Disney based many of his movies on existing fairy tales and just changed them a little."_

_"Then which one is the right one?"_

_"Neither one is exactly wrong, honey. I suppose some would argue that the original source material is the 'true' story, but if you ask me, I think the truth exists somewhere in between."_

As though in a trance, Edward descended the porch steps and met Flynn on the lawn. "Say that again," he said, his voice tremulous. "And tell me why..." He swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Why did you say that?"

"Because, man... it's true. And Mia told me that if you believe nothing else I tell you, that telling you the whole truth would be the only thing left to do." Flynn held Edward's gaze, now speaking with more confidence. "Now listen to me when I tell you... My name _is_ Kevin Flynn, and your daughter _is_ safe with The Dreamfinder and Figment."

Edward's eyes had gone so wide it almost looked as though they might pop right out of his head. He was no longer raging at Flynn, but he still seemed hesitant to believe.

"Only my daughter could possibly know to say that, so you must have spoken with her. You must know where she is. But the rest of what you're telling me..." He shook his head. "It's... it's impossible. This sort of thing just doesn't happen. There's no such thing as... well, as everything you're telling me. I can't possibly be expected to believe it. No sane person could. It's crazy!"

"Well... if you're going crazy, allow me to join you."

Flynn reached into the back of his jacket and pulled out the object that had been docked to his back. The strange luminescent strip on the front of his jacket that Edward hadn't noticed until now blinked out. In his hand he held an Identification Disc, which to Edward, looked like an impeccable re-creation of the kind seen in _Tron Legacy._

"I can prove everything, man. But not out here. Can we go back inside a minute?"

Edward hesitated. "Well... all right. You can come in, but you've got two minutes to make your little elevator pitch, and if you can't prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that what you're saying is true, I call the cops and tell them _you_ have my daughter." He turned around and led Flynn back up the front porch and into the house.

"Good... so long as there's no pressure," Flynn muttered, as he followed.

They returned to the living room and Edward turned to face Flynn. "Okay. Show me your proof. And you should know, Mr. Imagineer, that my dad was an engineer, so I know a gimmick when I see one." He crossed his arms and waited.

Flynn took a deep breath. "Mia told me that your personal favorite Disney flick was the original Tron movie. So... dig this, man."

Flynn traced his thumb along the inner rim of the disc before giving it a light frisbee toss across the room. Edward took a step back as it flew towards the Christmas tree.

"Hey! Watch it!"

But to his surprise, the disc didn't strike the tree and, instead, hovered in the air. Edward watched in astonishment as a collection of glowing blue pixels appeared in the air around the disc, taking the shape of a body. Then, with a soft thump, a man appeared in a crouched position in front of Edward's half-finished Christmas tree.

Edward gaped as the man slowly rose to his feet; a man with dark brown hair, grayish, washed-out skin tone, and glowing blue eyes. Edward scanned the man from head to toe, appraising the form-fitting black body suit with its illuminated accents, particularly the T-shaped icon in the center of the chest. The man glanced first at Edward with a bemused expression before turning his gaze on Flynn, arching a questioning eyebrow.

Grinning, Flynn said, "Edward Baxter... I'd like to introduce you... to Tron."

Edward's lips flapped soundlessly before he found the words. "I'll be damned..." The color drained from his face and he began to sway.

Flynn rushed to Edward's side and caught him before he could fall. "Easy there, bucko."

Tron crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Flynn... What are you doing to this man? You _could_ brief me before just impulsively jumping into things."

"Sorry, T," said Flynn as he slowly eased Edward onto the couch. "There wasn't time, man. Just had to go with the flow, ya know?"

Tron glanced around the room, taking inventory of his surroundings. Those pictures on the wall... Was that Miandra? And this man... This man must be Miandra's adoptive father. So that's what was going on.

"I see now," said Tron. "Still, it would have been nice if you'd at least informed me you were coming to Earth to see Miandra's father." Tron tilted his head as he appraised Edward Baxter. "He seems terrified of you."

"Actually, I think he's more in shock over you, T."

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "H-He's real. You're... you're both real. How?" His eyes moved from Tron to Flynn as though imploring them to return his sanity to him. "Things like this... I mean, you read about it in books and you see it in movies, but they just... they don't happen in real life. Not to people like me." He buried his face in his hands and rubbed his temples. "How am I going to explain this to my wife?"

Flynn and Tron exchanged glances. Flynn smiled uneasily as he took a seat beside Edward. "Uhh... I'm not sure I'm the one to tell you this, Eddie, but I don't think Beverly is gonna be as shaken by it as you."

"How do you know my wife's name? What's going on? Please, I believe you now, but you're not telling me much. What is this world that you speak of? Why is Mia there? Can you bring her home? Please!" His gaze moved from Flynn to Tron. "I'm begging you... as a father. Bring her home."

It was Tron who replied. "Mr. Baxter... Bringing Miandra back here at this time will not be possible. Right now, she's safer in Dizgaia than she would be here. We can protect her there. Professor Mercurial... The Dreamfinder... can protect her there."

"Look," said Flynn at the dumbfounded expression on Edward's face, "I can't explain everything, man. Not now. But let me just key you in on a few things. Back at Disney World, that big palooka who came after you guys... That wasn't an actor. He was from _our_ world, Dizgaia. That was Gaston in the flesh, man."

Edward's jaw dropped. "G-Gaston? He's real, too? But isn't he a... you know, a pervert?"

"That, and he's not the only baddie who has an interest in Mia. Right now, she's with the one person who can protect her the best." Flynn felt Edward deserved to know more. So much more. But it wasn't his job to tell this man the honest to goodness truth. "The Dreamfinder won't let _anyone_ harm Mia. I promise. It's just not safe for her to come here right now."

"Wait, wait wait. Hold the phone. How is she safer there than here?!" Edward demanded. "If those nut-jobs want to do God knows what to my daughter, how the hell could she possibly be safer _there_ than _here?_ If you can't bring her back here, then at least take _me_ to _her!_ " he cried, leaping to his feet.

Edward was really fighting him on this. He really wanted Mia to come home. And Flynn understood that completely. What father wouldn't want that girl home, safe and sound? Flynn's thoughts drifted to Blair. If Mia were back here with Edward, then Blair wouldn't have his daughter home safe and sound. Oh, this whole thing was complicated!

"Ya know," said Flynn, his gaze drifting back to Tron. "On the other side of the Rainbow Corridor, this all looked so easy." He turned back to Edward and attempted to level with him. "If we brought Mia back here, there would be no one to protect her. How do you think Gaston tracked her down to begin with? They knew right where she was, man. Of course, that bitch, Tremaine, pretending to be her college professor also helped there."

"Wait, what?"

But Flynn didn't give Edward much of a chance to dive into that particular reveal. "I wish it could be as simple as bringing you guys back together," he said. "I really do. I wish I could bring her back just like I took her there in the first place. It was the only thing I could do to get her away from Gaston and the Goons."

"Goons?"

"Gremlins. Goblins, if you will," explained Tron.

"Truthfully, I'm not even allowed to be here right now," Flynn admitted. "I did it because Mia really wanted to get a message to you to let you know that she was safe with her f—" Flynn stopped abruptly and quickly amended, "... with the Dreamfinder." This was not the way Edward should find out. "I made a promise to her, and I wasn't going to break it. Just trust me... She loves you, she misses you, but right now, that's as far as this can go."

As Edward ruminated on all the unbelievable things he'd just been told, Flynn glanced at his watch and rose to his feet.

"It's time for me to leave. If I don't get back soon, I'm going to be in big trouble."

"Take me with you!" Edward cried, leaping to his feet. "Take me to your world! Take me to my daughter!"

"I told you, Edward," said Flynn remorsefully. "It's not that easy. I'm not even allowed to be here, and I'm certainly not allowed to bring unauthorized civilians to the other side. I'll be arrest—"

"I don't give a rat's ass what you're allowed to do!" roared Edward. "Take me to her!"

Flynn shook his head. "I'm sorry. This is as far as this can go." But when he turned to leave, Edward grabbed him by the jacket. His eyes were wild and full of tears.

"No! This is _not_ as far as this can go! You're going to take me to her!"

Flynn winced. He hated seeing this man like this. He knew what it was like to be without someone you loved very much. But making unrealistic demands wasn't going to solve anything. Flynn shook his head pityingly.

"I can't. I really can't. I'm sorry, Edward. Aside from the dangers, there's a temporal displacement thing between our worlds."

Edward's eyes grew wide. "What? Seriously?"

"If you left... you'd be leaving Beverly here alone. And even if you only came back to Dizgaia for like a day or so... years might pass here. Do you really think she could handle that alone?"

Edward lowered his gaze but did not release his grip on Flynn's jacket. "Beverly? No, I... I couldn't... I couldn't leave Bev. But..." He lifted his gaze once more, and Flynn saw realization dawn in his eyes. "Wait a minute," he growled. "If that's true, then what about Mia?! If there's really this big... temporal imbalance... then I could be long gone by the time you jerks decide it's safe for Mia to come home! I may never see her again!" His grip tightened on Flynn's jacket and he gave him a hard shake. "How could you do that to me? How could you do that to _her_? To our family?"

Tron placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Let him go, Mr. Baxter. This isn't helping anything."

"Isn't helping anything?! Helping what? Helping me convince you to take me to my daughter, which you're blatantly refusing to do? Is that what it's not helping?!" Edward threw a forearm at Tron, shoving him back, still keeping a hand on Flynn's jacket.

Flynn looked pleadingly at Tron. "Tron..."

Tron's eyes narrowed. It was time he intervened and took a firmer stance. "I'm sorry, Mr. Baxter." He grabbed hold of Edward's arm and yanked him away from Flynn.

Flynn staggered backward, gazing forlornly at Edward.

"Flynn," said Tron sternly. "It's time to go."

Slowly, Flynn backed away from Edward as Tron held him at bay. Edward struggled against the heroic program, trying desperately to get to Flynn. If someone had told Edward that this Christmas he'd be trying to beat up Kevin Flynn while Tron held him back, he would've told them to lay off the spiked eggnog.

"I'm sorry, man," said Flynn as he backed towards the door. "We'll try to figure this out. Maybe... maybe there will be a way to fix everything."

But none of that mattered to Edward. All he knew was that the person who held the key to getting his daughter back was about to leave.

"No! Please don't go! Take me with you! Please!"

Flynn hated this. If Beverly were here, it would be so much easier. But there was no telling how long Beverly would be out. He really wished that it could be as simple as taking Edward back with him. But he was already in hot water with the AMPA as it was. If he came back with a man from Earth who wasn't 'in the know,' he could only imagine what that Agent Royo might do. That guy might very well blow his stack.

Edward struggled uselessly as Flynn backed closer and closer to the front door. "NO! Get off me! Ngh! Flynn!" He thrust an elbow at Tron, but the defense program caught his arm. Left with no other choice, he pulled Edward's arm behind his back, which only made Flynn feel worse.

"Agh!"

"Tron... don't hurt him. I'm sorry, Edward. The Dreamfinder... Maybe he can figure something out. I'm sorry. I'll... I'll uh... give Mia your love."

With that, Flynn fled, leaving Tron to deal with Edward. Tron's grip was unrelenting. He didn't want to hurt Edward, but all his struggling wasn't helping. He couldn't allow Edward to go after Flynn. He didn't know just what Edward might do. But one thing Tron did know... This all felt wrong. This man was an innocent. He didn't deserve this. This wasn't any way for a program designed to fight for the Utopia to behave. Restraining a man filled with despair over his lost daughter might very well be the one thing Tron was doing that made him feel something he'd yet to experience. Utter regret.

"NOOO!" shouted Edward. "COME BACK! PLEASE!"

But the sound of a motorcycle revving up was enough to confirm his fears. Flynn was leaving. Edward strained uselessly against Tron, but this only served to cause more pain to shoot up his arm. As the roar of the motorcycle – or might it even be a Light Cycle? – grew fainter, Tron released Edward, and the man fell to his knees.

"No, no, no, no! Mia!" Tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't stop them. They fell down his face, streaking his cheeks as his eyes flicked back to the macaroni magnet. "Oh God, why? Why my daughter?"

Tron knew what the plan was. Once Flynn was a safe distance away, he was going to be recalled, just as he had been at the Disney park. But at the moment, Tron was left with a distraught Edward Baxter. Perhaps, in the time they had left, Tron could to _something_ to alleviate Edward's pain, at least a little.

Slowly, Tron knelt down beside Edward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this, Mr. Baxter. This isn't the way I would have imagined meeting the man who raised Miandra into the kind and courageous young woman she's become."

Edward turned his gaze towards the remarkable humanoid program. "You're the real deal, aren't you?" he said softly. "And Mia... You know her. You know her well? Is she really all right? Has she had to be very brave?" Now it was he who placed his hand on Tron's shoulder. "Please, tell me honestly... Is she really in danger? If you can't take me to her... can you at least promise me that you'll protect her from these... these Disney villains or whatever the hell they are?"

Tron nodded. "Miandra is a very special young woman... to many people in Dizgaia. I hope someday you'll find out just how special she truly is."

Edward blinked, not entirely comprehending how or why Miandra was apparently so special to people on this other world, and he had a feeling if he asked, Tron wouldn't have the time to explain. As much as he'd like to keep Tron here to answer questions and perhaps try to convince _him_ to take him to Mia, he had a sinking suspicion that the program's time was limited.

"As a sworn protector of the good and innocent, I give you my word, Mr. Baxter, that I will never let any harm come to Miandra." Tron lowered his gaze as he thought of Miandra. "I owe her that much and more... for saving my life. For showing me that I have a life to live. That I can be more than I'm programmed to be."

"M-Mia saved... _My_ daughter saved _your_ life?"

Exactly what had Mia been up to over there on that other world?

Tron gave Edward a kind smile. "Flynn cares greatly for her. And I can see why. That's why he risked the trouble of coming here to get Miandra's message to you."

Edward's eyes narrowed. He had to wonder just where this was going. Was Flynn... with his daughter? It was too much to process at once.

"Look," said Edward, "I'd beg you to take me to her if I thought it would do any good, but I can see that it won't. It hasn't." He swallowed as he cast a glance up at her pictures on the wall, then back at Tron. "But... could you take a message to _her_ from _me_?"

Tron smiled. "I can do you one better. And perhaps if Flynn had let me in on this plan of his, we might have avoided a lot of trouble if he'd done this, too." He removed his disc from his back and held it horizontally to Edward. "Built into my program is the ability to holographically record what I perceive. In this instance, hold my disc flat, and we'll record a message for her. It'll project holographically for Mia later."

"R-Really? Holographic projection?"

Tron closed his eyes. When they opened again, pulsing blue light moved through his eyes and his circuits.

"Go ahead. It's started."

"It's started? Oh, okay. Um... Let's see..." Edward gazed into the disc, and for a moment, he couldn't find his voice. Swallowing, he began. "H-Hey, baby. It's... it's your father." His voice cracked at the end and he had to take a moment to collect himself. "I just want you to know how much I love you, Mia. I love you so, so much. If I could come to you, I would. God knows I tried, but..." He trailed off, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand. "You should know I, uh, may have been a bit hard on your friend... Flynn." His gaze moved to the glowing blue eyes in front of him. "And Tron."

Tron couldn't help but smile. Edward still didn't know everything. He deserved to know the truth. All of it. Flynn had never explained how he knew Beverly's name. Perhaps Tron could give Edward an assist in this manner. Edward Baxter was a good man. A noble man. If this man could raise a wonderful daughter like Miandra, then he deserved all the help he could get.

Edward's gaze returned to the disc as he continued his message for his daughter. "So when you next see that punk," he said with a small smile, "let him know I appreciate that he came to me at great personal risk to himself and that... and that..." He took a brief, shuddering breath. "Well, you get the picture, sweetie."

There was more to say. So much more. But where to begin? There wasn't much time to deliberate, so Edward plunged onward.

"It's been almost a year over here. I thought when I saw you again... _if_ I ever saw you again... that I'd have so much to say. But now it's... it's kind of escaping me, honey. There's so many things, but so little time. I guess the most important thing I want you to know is how much I love you and how immensely proud I am of you, and how happy I am to be your father." He slid a forearm across his eyes, wiping away tears. "Ah, God..." Sniffling, he lowered his arm. "Well, sweetie... I hope... I hope this isn't goodbye. I hope, someday, I'll see you again. If they won't bring you back to me... Well, then maybe I'll find a way to get to you. Wait for me, sweet pea, okay?"

Once Edward finished, the glowing rims on the disc blinked, indicating that the recording was finished. Tron smiled and nodded. "I think that will be a very good message for her. I'll make sure she gets it." He rose to his feet. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Mr. Baxter. Perhaps... there will be another opportunity."

Edward opened his mouth to beg one last time to be taken to his daughter, but this seemed beyond Tron's ability as the circuits on his suit began to pulse. The time had come. He was being recalled.

"Looks like this is where we part. Good luck to you, Edward."

"W-Wait," said Edward, struggling to his feet.

Tron struck a familiar pose, holding his disc high above his head with both hands. Edward took a step back, mesmerized as Tron slowly began to depixelate. But before he faded entirely, Tron spoke one more time.

"Edward! When Beverly returns... ask her about The Dreamfinder. Ask her about... Blarion Mercurial!"

"B-Blarion?"

But before Edward could ask for more clarification, Tron disappeared in a cloud of blue pixels, and Edward was alone once more. Trembling, he lowered himself to the couch, running a hand down his face and giving himself a shake.

Was that real? Was any of that real? He glanced down at the bottle of Jack Daniels. More than half its contents had spilled out over the floor. This was certainly not an alcohol induced hallucination. He hadn't even drunk enough to get tipsy.

Edward got on his hands and knees and mopped up the spilled liquid with a rag as he pondered over everything Flynn and Tron had said, particularly something Flynn had said.

_I don't think Beverly is gonna be as shaken by it as you_.

Edward paused in his cleaning.

"What am I even doing?"

He rose to his feet, grabbed his phone off the end table and called Beverly. She was working the graveyard shift at the hospital tonight, so she might not get the message until her break, or perhaps not even until morning. Nevertheless, when Edward got her voicemail, he left a message.

"Bev, honey, it's me. Something's happened. Something... something big. Something to do with Mia. Please call me back as soon as you get this message, okay?"

He ended the call. With a sign, he plopped back onto the couch.

"Blarion Mercurial, huh?" he murmured to himself as his fingers flew across the keyboard of his phone.

In the search bar he typed _Blarion Mercurial._ The spelling was guesswork, really. He just spelled it phonetically. The first result that appeared was from the Disney Wiki page. He clicked on it and a familiar illustration appeared. The Dreamfinder with his purple dragon, Figment, just as Flynn and Tron had said, and just as Edward remembered them as a child riding the Journey Into Imagination attraction with his parents and younger brother. But there was more.

He read:

_**The Dreamfinder** _ _is a character that first appeared in the original incarnation of Journey Into Imagination, an attraction that operated from 1982 to 1998 at EPCOT Center's Imagination Pavilion at Walt Disney World. Dreamfinder's backstory is later explored in 'Disney Kingdoms: Figment,' an ongoing Marvel Comics title that began in 2014, where his real name is revealed as **Blarion "Blair" Mercurial**._

Edward shook his head, bewildered. Marvel comics? He was a huge Marvel fan. He had a whole box of Marvel comics in the attic that he had refused to get rid of, much to Beverly's chagrin. But he'd never heard of Marvel's 'Disney Kingdoms' or a 'Figment' comic. If he had, he would've picked it up in a heartbeat, as he'd been a huge fan of the ride as a kid. But as a 45-year-old man with a consuming amount of responsibilities, it must have slipped beneath his radar.

Was the Dreamfinder, this Blair Mercurial, a real person? And could he really protect Mia? And how and why would Beverly of all people know him? Edward rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache. Staring at his phone screen in a slowly darkening room certainly wasn't helping. He pressed the foot-button for the Christmas tree lights. It sprang to life in a multitude of colors which dimly illuminated the room. He set his phone on the table and picked up a framed picture of Mia and sat back down, staring at it. It was her senior picture from high school, just a year and a half, maybe two years ago now. She was standing in an autumn orchard wearing ripped jeans, a white peasant blouse, and brown cowgirl boots. Edward's thumb trailed gently over her cheek.

"Oh, honey," he said, choking back tears. "Why is this happening? What do these people want with you?"

"Oh, good sir, the answer to that question is too delicious!"

Gasping, Edward leapt to his feet, dropping the picture onto the floor. Moments ago, he had most definitely been alone. But now, as though he appeared out of nowhere, a strange man sat in the chair across from him. He was a handsome and dapper fellow dressed in a green overcoat with a matching large top hat over his wavy blonde hair. He lounged sideways in the armchair, one leg crossed over the other as he sipped at a cup of tea.

"But it's all something that will be revealed in due time!" the man in the hat announced, taking another sip of tea.

"Wh-Who the hell are... How did you get..." Edward couldn't seem to complete a sentence. "Flynn...? Tron...?" he called without taking his eyes away from the strange man. "This guy better be with you..."

No answer. Flynn and Tron were long gone. Edward was getting a bad feeling about this. Slowly, he backed away from the man until his back was against the credenza.

The Hatter shook his head with a dismayed expression. "Me? Accompany such deplorable riffraff? Don't be daft, man. I'm already daft enough for both of us." He threw back his head and unleashed a rapid-fire chatter of a laugh.

Edward winced. He was certain this man was quite mad.

"Y-You need to leave, sir. If you don't, I'll be forced to call the cops."

The Hatter slid from the chair and rose to his feet in a fluid-like movement that reminded Edward of a reflection on rippling water.

"Oh, I don't plan to stay long at all, sir. In fact..." The Hatter swept his hat off his head and held it out in front of him. A large, rodent-like claw slipped out of it, holding a pocket-watch.

Edward let out a cry of disgust. "Ugh! Good God! What the hell?!"

"Ah," said the Hatter, ignoring Edward's cries. "It seems you and I are late, sir... late for a very important date!"

Edward's eyes went wide in horrified realization. "Oh, hell no..."

The ratty claw retracted back into the hat and the man returned it to his head. "We really _must_ be going."

The Hatter took a step forwards, crunching the framed photo beneath his careless shoe.

"H-Hey!" shouted Edward, gazing helplessly at the broken picture and looking very much like he wanted to rescue the smiling young woman from her terrible fate.

The Hatter removed his foot, bent down and picked up the picture, brushing off the glass. He grinned down at the photo for a moment before pocketing it.

"It's a shame those two chaps didn't stay just a moment longer. Because if they did..."

Quite suddenly, it was as if a gas main exploded. Green flames appeared out of nowhere, hovering in the air over the living room carpet like a burning vortex. Edward had read enough comic books as a kid to know a trans-dimensional portal when he saw one.

"... perhaps they could've prevented what's going to happen next."

Hideous creatures in black armor spilled out through the green flame vortex, pushing their way into Edward's living room.

"We really mustn't keep Madame Maleficent waiting, should we, Mr. Baxter?"

As the armored goblins came towards him, Edward reached into the credenza behind him, his fingers closing around the butt of a gun. He spun towards the hell-spawned creatures and fired off two shots. One shot ricocheted off the chest plate of one of the beastly creatures and broke a window. The Hatter quickly dodged the second shot, which instead hit a goblin in the face, sending a spray of green blood across the Baxters' living room.

Edward wasn't sure if he could take all of them. In fact, he rather doubted it. Even though his gun was superior to their medieval weaponry, he was outnumbered. Nevertheless, he must do what he could. He must defend himself, his home, his wife, his daughter... Yes, he was certain these were the villains who wanted to take Mia. And if he couldn't be with Mia to protect her in person, at the very least, he'd take out as many of the villains who sought her as he could. Edward managed to take down another two goblins before The Hatter, deeming his behavior troublesome, reached inside his coat and took out a ceramic teapot.

"You, sir, need to relax... and _have some tea!_ "

The Hatter swung the ceramic teapot and smashed it into Edward's head. Edward cried out, dropping his gun and falling to his knees amongst the shattered pieces of ceramic. His vision was blurred and blotchy. He lifted a trembling hand to his head and felt the blood pooling there. Edward forced himself to stand, staggering to his feet and swaying as the goblins and the man in the hat swam in and out of focus.

As the creatures swarmed around him, Edward swore he could see a familiar figure standing within the green flame portal; a tall, lithe, beautiful though dangerous horned woman staring back at him with a penetrating gaze. The surviving Goons produced ropes and chains and quickly bound Edward from head to toe, not so unlike the way they bound Prince Phillip in Disney's _Sleeping Beauty._

The Hatter grinned as he picked Edward's gun up off the floor. With the pistol in hand, he motioned toward Edward. "You should be pleased, Mr. Baxter. With our help, we'll ensure that you see your precious Miandra again very soon!"

The beautiful, terrifying figure inside the green flame vortex beckoned with a pale, long-fingered hand and laughed a cruel, feminine laugh as Edward was shoved through the portal.


	7. Falling Apart

As Flynn stepped out of the swirling rainbow tunnel, he glanced at his watch and did a double take. It was 11 p.m. Sunday night, exactly five days after he snuck into ImageWorks and took the Rainbow Corridor to Earth. The special watch he wore was designed to sync up with whatever time he was in. He checked the Dizgaian time against the Earth time once more. Between arriving in Disney World, catching a flight from Orlando to Milwaukee, checking into a hotel, visiting with Mia's father and then catching a return flight to Disney World, he had spent five days on Earth. Five days on Earth... five days on Dizgaia. They'd synced up! How was that possible? And here he'd told Mia he'd just be gone for a few hours!

The Rainbow Corridor closed behind him and Flynn glanced up from his watch, only to realize he was not alone. Men and women in red cloaks had surrounded him, and all were pointing their wands at him. The AMPA was waiting for him, and with them, Dr Channing. Well, if this didn't just add insult to injury.

"Hold it right there, Flynn!" Dr. Channing stood with his arms crossed, glaring unhappily.

Flynn slowly lifted his hands, smiling nervously. "Uh... Hey, look, if this is about those parking tickets, I can explain everything, okay?"

"I've had it up to here with you, Flynn! We've been over this time and time again. You're not to be coming and going through the Rainbow Corridor whenever you damn well please! _You_ were given a citation, and the _institute_ was given a citation! But that wasn't good enough. Oh no. Here you are, at it again, no matter how many times Professor Mercurial and I stick our necks out for you! And fraternizing with Earth folks who aren't in the know! I mean, really! Even if they _are_ Miandra's parents, you know very well we're not to be sharing our secrets with people of Earth except for those we've already made professional contact with! You, Flynn, have broken... oh, I don't know how many statutes!"

"Six... that we know of. Possibly more, no doubt."

There he was. In a charcoal gray suit under a red robe, his dark eyes glaring hard at Flynn; the ever-intimidating Special Agent Mortimer Royo. Flynn supposed if the AMPA were around, he shouldn't be surprised that this guy was, too.

"Not to mention violating _royal_ decrees, which, technically, doesn't fall under our jurisdiction, but is reason enough for action."

"Action?" said Flynn. "Woah, hold on a second!" He turned his desperate gaze on Channing. "Look, forget all this, man! The time has synced up! The temporal imbalance isn't—"

"Kevin Flynn!" Royo interrupted. "As Special Agent of the Allied Magical Protection Agency—"

"No! Listen to me a second!"

"I place you under arrest! Agent Ubwerks?"

A second agent waved his wand at Flynn, and glittery magical binds latched Flynn's arms behind his back.

"AH! H-Hey man! This isn't fair! Mia's other dad deserved to know! You both know it!"

"Look, Flynn," said Channing. "It isn't that I don't agree with you there in some sense, but the law is the law and it's there for a reason! You've put the Institute in a difficult position, and not for the first time, I might add."

With another flick of Agent Ubwerks' wand, Flynn was forced to his knees.

"Ngh! C'mon, man! I know my rights!" Flynn gazed pleadingly at Dr. Channing. "Doc... Nigel... Make them stop! We gotta tell Mercurial! I was gone for five days! Both here _and_ on Earth! Ya gotta listen to me!"

But his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"I would take that disc from him," Channing advised as the AMPA agents approached and took Flynn by the arms, lifting him to his feet. "That program is essentially a weapon, as well as property of the Institute, which, I'm sorry to say, as of now, Kevin Flynn no longer works for."

Flynn's eyes went wild as he struggled against his captors. "What?! No! You can't have Tron!"

The AMPA agents restrained him, holding him tightly as a female agent, Agent Byrd, pulled the disc out of the magnetic holster on Flynn's back and handed it to Dr. Channing.

"His phone, too," added Channing. "He uses it as a remote to call the program to him."

Reaching into Flynn's pocket, the AMPA agent took his phone and handed it to Agent Royo.

"We'll hold onto this," said Royo to Channing, who looked mildly disappointed. "After all, his phone surely is not Institute property."

"Very well," Channing huffed.

Flynn grit his teeth, straining against his captors to get to Channing. "Tron is _my_ program! Give him back!" he demanded.

Royo stepped between them. "Settle down, Mr. Flynn. Your program will be in safe hands. But if you struggle and resist arrest, I'll be forced to cast some submission spells."

"I don't do the kinky stuff on the first date, pal," said Flynn with narrowed eyes.

Royo glared at Flynn. "Crass, Mr. Flynn. Very crass." Then, turning to his subordinates. "Get him out of here."

As the AMPA agents hauled Flynn away, he wondered just how Channing knew what had happened. He supposed, due to the time syncing up, his five-day absence from work would have been the first giveaway. But how could they know for sure? He could have taken a vacation or simply not shown up. It wouldn't be the first time he'd skipped work or simply worked from home, remotely. Unless...

_Mia._

She must have panicked when he didn't come back when he said he would. But why did she tell _Channing?_ She _should_ have told Blair!

_Thanks, kiddo... Thanks a bunch._

~~~

Flynn was taken to the station in Main Street, processed, placed in a cell and left alone with his thoughts. And they weren't pleasant. The talk with Edward hadn't gone well. Add being fired from his job, Tron taken from him, and now spending the night in jail, this had to be the second worst night of his life. Here was the 'eminently cool' Kevin Flynn, in a jail cell... all for doing what he thought was right.

He stretched out on the bench, laying there with his eyes on the ceiling. He'd imagined this going so differently. First, Edward's immediate understanding and request for Flynn to take care of his daughter, along with his blessing to pursue her, followed by Mia's undying gratitude, and in the end, Flynn would get the girl. But he'd been deluded. Why did he think it was going to be easy?

The dark wanderings of Flynn's mind were interrupted as a prison guard arrived to unlock his cell. "All right, Mr. Flynn," he said, opening the door and stepping aside. "You're free to go."

That was much sooner than he'd expected. Slowly, Flynn sat up and took one look at the man who'd bailed him out. There stood Blair Mercurial, his arms crossed and shaking his head. Flynn couldn't have felt more ashamed if it had been his own father gazing at him with such disappointment in his face.

"Let's go, Kevin," Blair said, turning his back to him and leading the way out of the station.

Silently, Flynn followed Blair from his cell, and through the AMPA headquarters. On the way out, Agent Royo watched them leave. Flynn was tempted to offer an impolite gesture to the man, but with The Dreamfinder leading him out, he found he didn't quite have the gumption to do it.

Once they were outside the jail, Blair led Flynn down the street. "Kevin, we need to have a chat. Come along."

The Dreamfinder's voice was far more subdued than usual. Normally, he exuded such joy and whimsy. Not tonight. Soon, Flynn found himself at Sparky's 24-hour diner; the very same, in fact, in which he'd sat with Mia just a little over five days ago as they made plans for how he'd pull off exactly what he was now in trouble for.

Blair and Flynn sat together, sipping coffee. Blair, in particular, was drinking straight, black coffee. Not his usual preference. It was only now Flynn realized Blair was in his robe and slippers. It appeared that he'd been roused from bed to come down here and bail him out.

They sat in silence for some time. Flynn didn't even know how to begin. While a part of him wanted to thank Blair for bailing him out, another part of him almost preferred to be back in the cell rather than seeing such an expression of disappointment on the man's face.

"Kevin," said Blair slowly. "I hate to say it because I am quite fond of you, but you've severely disappointed me." He finally glanced up from his coffee. It was the first time he'd truly looked at Flynn since arriving at the station. Then, perhaps louder than he intended, he demanded, "What in the _world_ were you _thinking?!"_

Flynn stared into his coffee, unable to meet Blair's gaze. "I didn't think it would be that big of a deal," he mumbled. "I wanted... I wanted Mia... to be happy."

Blair sighed, and his voice grew softer, quieter. "I understand that, Flynn. And it warms my heart to hear you say such words. But don't you think I want the same? She's my daughter, you know. My only child. Her happiness means the world to me, and it broke my heart when Cindy came to her decision." His gaze hardened. "But there are reasons, Flynn! Miandra, the princesses, Agent Royo and myself all discussed this. Aside from Gaston and those Goons showing up in Disney World, the 10 Kingdoms have all reported more activity by the Dark Ones ever since her return. And after that incident with Captain Hook..."

Blair shuddered. He still couldn't be certain, but he feared the possibility that Hook may have seduced his daughter. Flynn could only imagine what he must be thinking right now, but he certainly wasn't going to be the one to confirm the Dreamfinder's suspicions.

"It's all the more imperative that we exercise extreme caution," Blair continued, pushing such grim thoughts from his mind. "The Dark Ones can sense when the power of the Gaia Sphere is used. It sends pulses of magical energy throughout Dizgaia when a trans-dimensional connection is made. And trust me, they know what it means."

"I never knew this," said Flynn, shocked. "I mean, I always thought Channing was just being an ill-tempered busybody. No one ever bothered to tell me about these... pulses or whatever."

"We never told you because it was never all that important... until now. If Miandra had gone with you, it would have led them straight to her! I thank heavens that you at least had the sense not to bring her along. But they could have captured _you,_ Kevin! Tortured you until you told them where to find Miandra or brainwashed you into delivering her to them! But beyond that, you put Beverly and Edward in danger! If the Dark Ones had followed you, you would have led them straight to them! Miandra would have heard this herself if she hadn't run off before we could finish explaining this to her. And imagine, if they'd captured Edward or Beverly! They could use them as leverage against Miandra!"

Flynn swallowed and lowered his gaze. He'd known there were risks involved, but he supposed he didn't realize just how much danger there truly was. And it would seem that Mia hadn't gotten all her information straight before she came running to him! If Flynn had realized just how risky the whole thing was, he might not have ended up going at all.

"Ultimately you and Miandra both have not only broken Institute protocol and the rules and regulations set forth by the AMPA, but you've technically defied a royal decree from our rulers!"

Flynn winced. He'd known he was breaking AMPA protocol, but he hadn't realized that he'd also broken a royal decree! He wasn't happy. By Mia coming to him without all the facts, she'd gotten him into one hell of a mess. Flynn stood by his own guilt in the whole affair. He was just as responsible. But damn it! If Mia had just stayed a little longer and actually listened to Blair, Royo, and the princesses before taking off...

"He deserved to know," Flynn said softly. "Edward. He deserved to know that Mia was okay. You know he did. You know, Blair, what it's like to have someone you love very much taken from you. Think of how Edward felt." Flynn lowered his gaze to his coffee. "We owed him the truth."

This seemed to touch something of a nerve with Blair as he pounded his fist against the table. "Yes, I know, but damn it, Kevin, we would have figured out another way, if you and Miandra had only given us a chance!"

Flynn's eyes shot up wide. Blair already had his rapt attention, but now Flynn found himself forcibly ensnared by The Dreamfinder uttering a curse. If Blair Mercurial felt compelled to swear, then he must truly be passionately upset by what had occurred.

"Don't you think the princesses _wanted_ to help Miandra in some way? Don't you think they _want_ to pass a message to Beverly and Edward to let them know their daughter's okay? We just needed time to figure out how to do that safely!"

Flynn brought a hand up and ran it through his hair in frustration. He really wished he hadn't agreed to any of this now. Mia didn't have all her information, and Flynn didn't think of the dangers that the use of the Rainbow Corridor might attract. Being a non-magical person, Flynn often took for granted the amount of magic that was utilized even at the Imagination Institute. Now the Dark One's might've been alerted to his coming and going.

Now he felt lower than dirt. What if something _had_ happened to him? What if the Dark Ones _had_ captured him, placed a spell on him, and forced him to do something horrible to Mia? Or what if he _had_ caused danger to befall one of Mia's parents? He'd never forgive himself.

Blair sighed and rubbed his temples. "As for your job, Kevin, I talked to Channing and reminded him how much of an asset you are to us at the Imagination Institute. He admitted his decision to fire you was a tad hasty. So, you haven't lost your job. However, you are on unpaid suspension for two weeks."

Well, at least that was better than being fired. "Look, whatever, man. It's fine. Two weeks is no biggie. But he had _no right_ to take Tron away from me! That's not 'Institute property.' That is Alan's program! His life's work!" Flynn leaned closer, his gaze intense. "I don't like having Tron away from me. _Especially_ since that Yokai nutcase rolled into town. He wanted Tron, man! Without me, Tron's just trapped in the Institute like a sitting duck! We have no idea who that guy was! What if he was -- _is --_ God forbid, someone with institute clearance? Tron's just sitting there like a fruit ripe for the picking!"

"I fully understand your concerns, Kevin. I will talk to Channing and do my best to convince him of this. Though, while I may have been able to convince him to give you back your job, you know very well that you tend to rub him the wrong way and try his patience. So my words to him in regards to Tron may only go so far. But I will try. Worst case scenario, you'll just have to suck it up for those two weeks and trust Institute security to keep an eye on things, and Tron will be returned to you when you return to work."

"Goodie. Then I get to return to work as 'Kevin Flynn, the guy that the Dreamfinder told to 'suck it up,'" Flynn muttered. "I guess being the _co-founder_ of the Institute doesn't carry much weight, huh?" Then, realizing this sounded more venomous than he'd intended, he added, "Sorry, man. But when it comes to Tron, I don't trust _anyone_ with him."

"Nevertheless," said Blair, taking a sip of coffee. "Oh, and one last thing, Kevin. My position as _co-founder_ may not hold much weight, but being _The Dreamfinder_ certainly does. I spoke with Cindy and Snow. They've agreed to drop all charges against you, understanding that Miandra is just as at fault as you are in this. So, there will be no court date, no fines, no jail time. We all know your heart was in the right place, and we agree that two weeks without pay is punishment enough. As for my daughter..." His gaze lowered to his coffee, his expression surprisingly stern. "I will have to figure out the best way to deal with her."

Flynn nodded his silent thanks, but it still didn't make him feel much better. He was still miserable, and from the sound of it, Mia was in for a stern lecture herself. He had to wonder just how severe a punishment from The Dreamfinder was going to be. He couldn't even fathom it. But now, with the unpleasantries out of the way, Flynn finally had the opportunity to speak with Blair about another important matter.

"Prof... there's something you need to know. Right or wrong aside, I never intended to be gone long. Based on past runs through the Rainbow Corridor, I anticipated I'd only be gone a couple hours. I was on Earth for almost a week. When I got back... I found almost a week had gone by here a well." Flynn leaned towards him, speaking in a hushed tone. "The temporal imbalance is gone, Blair. Dizgaia has synced up with Earth!"

Blair's eyes went wide at this revelation. "Have you told anyone else?" he asked.

"Well, obviously, I _tried_ to tell Channing, but he wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise."

Blair stroked his finger thoughtfully across his lips. "I see." Leaning closer to Flynn, he lowered his voice. "For the moment, Kevin, I would advise you to keep this to yourself. The implications... there are many. Some good. Some bad. I'm going to need time to process this, and I don't think now is the time to be exploring this temporal alignment. Not with the Dark Ones on the move. They could use it to their advantage. For now, let's keep this between us."

So this _was_ a big deal. He knew it! Flynn was right to be concerned about Earth and Dizgaia's temporal alignment. Blair was certainly concerned about it. Very concerned indeed. Flynn wasn't much for temporal mechanics and the implications therein, so he agreed to leave it to Blair. At least now he felt justified in thinking that there _was,_ in fact, something to be concerned about.

Blair leaned back in his seat, nursing his mug as he gazed deeply into his coffee. "One other thing," he said slowly. "While you were there, you... you didn't happen to see Beverly, did you?"

Flynn sighed and shook his head regretfully. "No. She wasn't home. I kinda wish she _was_ , honestly. It would have made things so much easier."

Blair turned his gaze out the window and looked out into the night with something of a thousand-yard stare. "No," he said quietly. "It wouldn't." He sighed before turning back to Flynn. "It's for the best, Kevin. Now finish your coffee and I'll take you home. It's getting late."

Flynn was relieved to return to his apartment in downtown Main Street. He was exhausted, but too stressed to sleep. He wasn't happy. This entire situation basically marred his reputation. He never should've gotten involved in any of this. He should've told Mia no and left it up to her father and the princesses. Flynn was too much of a sucker for a pretty face. On top of that, he never had the chance to tell Blair just how much he'd revealed to Edward. Edward Baxter knew the truth now. He knew about Dizgaia. Flynn had revealed everything except for the fact that The Dreamfinder was Mia's biological father. Flynn had a bad feeling about this. Somehow, even though he'd been let off the hook, he had a feeling this was all going to come back and haunt him.

Of course, there were other thoughts troubling him as well. Why had Channing been so eager to take Tron from him? And wasn't it strange that as angry as Channing was, that he allowed Blair to talk him into giving Flynn his job back? And wasn't it peculiar that he should have this change of heart once Tron was out of Flynn's possession? Perhaps it was because Channing had exactly what he wanted... Tron. Could Channing be Yokai? Could he be the one who attacked and tried to steal Tron at the Imagineer's Parade? If so, Tron was in dangerous hands. It was time to do some investigating. Flynn sat down in front of his computer and quickly went to work.

"Okay, CLU. Tonight, we're paying a little visit to the Imagination Institute's archives. CLU, you there?"

"Yes, sir?"

"CLU, we don't have much time to fool around. We have to hack into the archives. This is top priority."

"Yes, sir."

"This isn't just correcting my bank statement or phone bill problem again. This is a _must_."

"I understand, sir."

Flynn hesitated. "Wow. Mia's right. I really _do_ sound like my movie counterpart." Shaking his head, he said, "We're looking for a file on microbots. I have a feeling that it may have been redacted from the archive database. But if we dig deeply enough, we're sure to find it."

"But sir, I'm not sure..."

"No buts, CLU. That's for Users. Now, you're the best program I've written, and we're doing this to protect the best program my _brother's_ ever written. It's his legacy. We're doing this for Tron. You can do this, CLU. You're dogged and relentless, remember?"

"Let me at 'em!"

"That's the spirit. Now keep that tank rolling, and I'll try and cover you from this end. Go."

~~~

The next morning, Mia awoke, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight which streamed in through the bedroom windows. It was unusually bright for so early in the morning. Mia rolled over and glanced at the clock on her nightstand and was surprised to see that it was nearly noon. How odd. Blair usually woke her up with a kiss goodbye before heading to work. She wondered why he didn't bother to wake her this morning.

After getting dressed and ready for the day, Mia went downstairs and stopped short, surprised to see her father sitting in the kitchen in his robe and slippers, looking unusually tired.

"No work today, Dad?" she asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the percolator. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No, Miandra. I need to speak with you. Could you sit down with me for a moment?"

Mia lifted an eyebrow. He sounded unusually subdued. What could it possibly be that would make him look so somber? Mia wondered if perhaps news had come of Flynn. When he hadn't returned from Earth, she had begun to worry herself sick. What if some horrible news as to his fate had come to light? What if...?

Swallowing nervously, Mia took her coffee mug to the table and took a seat. "All right..." she said slowly. "Shoot. What's up?"

Blair took a long, slow sip of coffee. Why was he hesitating?

"Kevin returned through the Rainbow Corridor last night, Miandra," he said finally.

Mia's initial expression was one of great relief, but she quickly attempted to hide it, feigning a look of confusion. But her father saw right through it.

"I know what it is that you had him do, dear. You had him go to Earth to seek out your adoptive father." His gaze was stern. "Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. But you should be aware that I know the truth, and it won't do you any favors to tell me otherwise."

"Who squealed?" she demanded. "It was Dr. Channing, wasn't it? That pompous little... He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone." In her ire, she took a big sip of coffee and winced.

"Yes, it was Dr. Channing. And it was a good thing he did, for if he didn't call me to tell me what happened, Flynn would still be sitting in a cell at the AMPA's headquarters this morning."

"Wait... what?"

"Miandra, upon his return home last night, Kevin was arrested for being in violation of no less than six AMPA statutes and for disobeying a royal decree."

"But that's not fair!" she cried. "I mean, arresting him? That's ridiculous! He was only trying to help me get a message to my da... er... to Edward!" She glared across the table at Blair. "I mean, you and the princesses sure weren't doing anything about it," she accused. "Flynn was the only one who cared!"

"It may seem that way to you, Miandra," he said sternly, "but we actually care a great deal! If you had stayed around with us at the meeting, you would have realized _why_ it was forbidden. We wanted to _try_ to send a message to Edward, but only when it was safe! The Rainbow Corridor draws its power from the ancient magic of the Gaia Sphere. When it's activated without following safety protocols, that magic can be sensed by the Dark Ones! We've been getting reports from the other kingdoms that the Dark Ones are becoming more and more active. Essentially, Flynn's actions just lit off a beacon for them!"

"Get a message to my dad when it's safe?" Mia demanded. "And when would _that_ be? When would it be safe? With the time difference, it could be years, decades, _centuries,_ even, before you got that message to him! What good would it do if he was an old man by the time he was told I was okay? Or worse, dead? And what? I should live in fear for the rest of my life because of these Dark jerks? That's bullshit, Blair!" She pounded her fist on the table, spilling a bit of coffee.

"Miandra! You will _not_ take that tone with me, young woman! I am your father, and you will listen to me!"

"That's right," said Mia angrily, rising to her feet. "I'm a young woman! You may be my father, but I'm not a little girl! I'm an adult! So, don't treat me like some errant child!"

"Miandra, you don't understand the severity of any of this. It wasn't a matter of it not just being safe for _you_ to go through. It was _anyone_! Flynn included! You've both placed not only your own lives, but the lives of anyone on Earth, _especially_ your mother and Edward, at risk! You or Flynn could have been followed and hurt! Or worse!"

Tears welled in Mia's eyes. They had put her father and mother at risk? If she'd only known! And yet, despite she and Flynn having been at fault, she continued to direct her anger at Blair.

"Then why the hell didn't you and the princesses and Agent Stick-Up-His-Ass _start_ with that?" she demanded, unwilling to take the blame for all this.

Blair's hand was trembling. He felt so angry. Was this normal? Did fathers get this angry with their children? He never imagined he'd ever have such a heated argument with Miandra. Perhaps he was naïve to think that their relationship would always be perfect.

"You will lower you voice, young lady! And watch your language! Despite what you think, the princesses and myself care a great deal! Flynn was almost fired from the institute and likely would have seen a court hearing and possibly lengthy jail time. Because of us, Flynn is being let off with a warning and he's only been suspended from the institute for two weeks! I'd say that we care more than you know!"

"What do you want, a medal for doing what any decent person should do in that situation? For cleaning up Dr. Channing's mess? Of course Flynn was almost fired! Channing _hates_ Flynn! And jail time? That's ridiculous! That's..." She spat out a curse word with such vehemence that Blair's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he leapt to his feet.

"MIANDRA!"

"I never asked for the Dark Ones' attention! I never asked to fall under their radar! I didn't ask to be dragged through the space-time continuum and have my heart broken by— Oh, it doesn't matter! All I ever wanted was a normal life, a college degree, and maybe a chance at doing something with my life! And I don't answer to princesses! I don't believe in a monarchy! I believe in a democracy! My country may not have much of one at the moment, but at least I don't have people telling me what I can and can't do with my own life!"

"Young lady—"

Mia sloshed the rest of her coffee into the sink, glaring at Blair. "And you... you're so... you're so... Ugh! I can't even tell you what I really think right now because you're the damn Dreamfinder and being mean to you is like a mortal sin!" She grabbed her satchel and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm out of here."

"Miandra! Miandra, come back here this instant!"

But she ignored him, storming off towards the front door. Figment, who'd been listening in from the living room couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something to fix this! Abandoning his puzzle, Figment flew after Miandra.

"Miandra, wait! I know it seems harsh, but the Dreamfinder is only trying to—"

"Stay out of it, Figment," Mia muttered.

"But Miandra," he said as he continued to fly after her. "I only—"

"Leave me alone! Both of you!" With that, Mia stormed out the front door, slamming it behind her. A second later, Blair and Figment heard the Light Cycle revving up as she took off down Tomorrow Hill.

Blair stood at the front door, watching her go. And despite being in the right, despite being her father who deserved to be shown respect, Blair felt absolutely miserable. And one look at the dreary expression on Figment's face, he could see that he wasn't alone.

"Miandra... Oh, Figment, what is happening to our family?"

"It's... it's okay, Dreamfinder," said Figment, forcing a cheerful tone, but not doing a very good job of it. "I'm sure she doesn't really mean all that. She's just upset because she misses her Earth daddy, right?" However, his glum little expression was enough to show how hurt he was. "I guess... I guess we're not enough anymore, huh, Dreamfinder?"

It was just past noon when Mia arrived at Flynn's apartment in downtown Main Street. She'd become well acquainted with the location, after having looked up the address in the Institute's Employee Register. She had stopped by several times in the last week while he was gone, hoping to find him there. Flynn lived above a pool hall. Mia thought it was a surprisingly low-key sort of grunge apartment for a guy who had a job at the Imagination Institute, but at the same time, it was good enough for what it was – a bachelor apartment.

There was a door at street level which led to the second-floor apartment space. The only way up to the second floor was by calling the apartment via an intercom system by the door. Mia pressed the buzzer and waited. No answer. She tried again. Finally, a familiar voice responded.

"If that's you, Julius, no, I'm in no mood to come down for a game."

Flynn's tone was flat and lacking its usual energy. Mia could easily guess the reason. Swallowing, she stammered a reply. "It's... it's Mia. Um, could... could I come up?"

There seemed to be a moment of hesitation on Flynn's end. Was he not going to let her up? Mia glanced to the side. A couple pool sharks in wife beaters, jeans, and cowboy boots were smoking outside the pool hall, shooting toothy grins at her. Mia leaned closer to the intercom.

"Please? Some guys are... staring at me."

It seemed that was enough. The buzzer sounded, permitting her access to the door. Just before she entered, someone pushed past the men who were leering at her. It was an anthropomorphic feline with black fur. He might have been Mia's height, if not a bit shorter.

"Hey, pallies. Why dontchya leave Flynn's lady-friend alone? You gots some tabs to pay, ya know!"

"All right, Julius All right! Can't a guy come out and have a smoke in peace?"

The cat-man, Julius, apparently, shook his head. "Nah! Get in 'ere and pay yer tabs!" He glanced over his shoulder at Mia, who hastily returned his smile and hurried up the stairs to Flynn's apartment.

Breathing heavily, Mia found the apartment door and knocked on it. When Flynn opened the door, he was barefoot and dressed in a dark blue kimono-like robe. His hair was wet. It looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower. The robe was opened somewhat, revealing a rather pleasing amount of toned chest muscle.

"There... there's a talking cat down there," Mia said somewhat breathlessly, unable to think of anything else.

Mia had almost expected Flynn to laugh at her shock over the anthropomorphic cat, tell her she was cute and maybe ruffle her hair playfully. Not today. He simply arched an eyebrow.

"That's Julius. He owns the pool hall downstairs." Flynn made no effort to step aside. He merely stood in the doorway of his apartment, his arms crossed. "So... what're you doing here in my neck of the woods, Mia?"

Mia lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling uncertain. "Um... w-well, I... I heard about what happened and... and I thought m-maybe you could use some cheering up." She lifted her gaze as well as the two take-out bags she held in her hands. "I... I brought take-out from Tiana's Palace. I thought maybe you could use some lunch." She offered him a tentative smile.

After the night he had, Flynn's spirits were not particularly high. Especially because it all could have been avoided if Mia... and he... hadn't acted so rashly.

"All right," he sighed. "Yeah, okay. C'mon in."

Mia followed him inside. For a place that was not much to look at from the outside, the inside, though small, was pretty nice. It was a studio apartment. The kitchen, living room, office and bedroom were all in the same space with a small bathroom at the back. Hardwood floors with brick and concrete wall aesthetics made up the interior. On one side of the apartment several small windows looked out onto Main Street. On the other side, large blinded windows provided a view of the interior of the lower floor of the building, overlooking the pool hall below.

"Nice pad," Mia commented. Her eyes roamed about the apartment, falling on two familiar arcade cabinets in the corner. Tron and Discs of Tron, both inspired by the Disney film.

"Sit down, honey. Make yourself at home."

He called her honey. Perhaps there wasn't anything to worry about after all. Mia did as she was told and took a seat on the couch in front of the coffee table.

"I like your kimono," she added, her cheeks warming as she tried to make this sound more casual than she felt. In actuality, she couldn't take her eyes off him. She was pretty certain he wasn't wearing anything else beneath it. The way it hung open around his muscular chest, the way his damp hair fell across his forehead, forcing him to constantly brush it away from his eyes...

_This isn't the time for that nonsense, Mia,_ she silently admonished herself. Shaking her head, Mia averted her gaze and took the food containers out of the take-out bag and placed them on the table.

Flynn glanced back at Mia from the kitchenette, offering her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Thanks. I've had this thing since... Medfield, probably. Got it from an old... uh..." Flynn averted his gaze, opening his fridge to avoid eye contact with her. "... friend from Zhongguo. It's comfy. Makes for a nice bathrobe, I suppose."

His vague response was not lost on her. Mia knew what he meant. An old girlfriend had given him the kimono. Why did she feel so annoyed all of a sudden? Why shouldn't Flynn have had a girlfriend before? A guy like him probably had plenty in his past.

"You want something to drink? Soda? Water? Uh... Half & Half... Apparently I need to go grocery shopping."

"Water's fine," she replied, giving him a tentative smile. "And yeah, I kinda figured that might be the case. That's why I brought lunch."

Flynn returned to the living room with a couple bottles of water. He took a seat next to Mia on the couch, though on the opposite end. Mia tried not to look too deeply into the fact that he had put so much space between them. They both dug into their food, eating in awkward silence. After an uncomfortably long time, Mia realized that if they were going to break the unbearable silence, she would have to be the one to do it.

"I'm glad you're all right," she blurted out. "When you didn't come back that night, and all those days passed, I thought... I was afraid that... well, that something bad might've happened to you." She gave him another small smile. "I'm glad that wasn't the case."

"Yeah... well, I guess physically I'm all right. But as far as bad things happening, I wouldn't exactly say that everything has been going top notch for me, honey." He took a bite of gumbo. Without sparing her a glance, he said, "I don't suppose you've heard what happened?"

"Yeah," she replied, noticing how he avoided her gaze. "Dad told me this morning that they gave you a two weeks suspension without pay." She bit her lip, then plunged on. "I'm really sorry, Flynn. I didn't know it was gonna turn out this way. I promise I wouldn't have told anyone. It's just that... Well, when you didn't come back, I panicked. I was afraid for you. I thought maybe Gaston or those goons came after you like he did for me in Disney World. So I... I told Dr. Channing," she said, lowering her gaze. "I didn't know what else to do."

Flynn glanced sharply at her. "Then why didn't you tell your dad?" he demanded. "You know Channing has it in for me! He was just looking for any excuse to throw the book at me!"

"I-I'm sorry, Flynn," she stammered. "It's just... Dad and the princesses weren't really on my side. And I knew Dad would be mad if I told him what we went and did. I thought maybe Channing would be easier. I mean, I know he's not your biggest fan, but he's always been friendly with me, always trying to be on a first-name basis and all. I mean, I find the guy exasperating, but I thought I could use his wanting to be friends with me to my advantage. And he didn't seem all that mad when I talked to him. He promised me he'd make sure you got home safely. He didn't give any indication that you were gonna get in trouble for it."

"Well, I hate to break it to you honey, but that was by far the wrong decision. Channing is _not_ your friend. He's _no one's_ friend. And what's worse, he took Tron from me!"

"H-He did?"

Flynn pushed his bowl of gumbo away and rose to his feet. He ran his hands through his hair as he paced the floor. "Ever since the night of the parade, I don't trust anyone with Tron but me! I've been doing a little snooping, Mia. A bit of hacking, if you will, into the Imagination Institute's database. You know what I found buried deep away with a bunch of redacted information?"

Mia shook her head.

"Those damn microbots! They're in the freaking system! That Yokai attack must've been an inside job!"

"S-Seriously?"

"And now, because Channing found out what I did, Tron's been taken away from me and left in the Institute where anyone can get their grubby mitts on him!"

"Well, m-maybe if I talked to Channing for you, told him your suspicions and asked him really nicely to—"

"Oh no no no... We're not playing the game by his rules. Mia, think about this a second... Channing doesn't like me. He's always looking for any excuse to pull the trigger on me. He claims that I have no imagination when _he's_ like the least imaginative person at the Institute! He's obviously jealous of me, even down to the freaking video game scores. It all makes sense now." Flynn, stopped his pacing to turn and face her. "Mia! Channing is Yokai!"

"Wh-What?" Mia stammered. "B-But he's the Chairman! Why would... N-No, it couldn't be Channing. I mean..."

She trailed off. Why _couldn't_ it be Channing? Mia wasn't entirely sure she had a good counterargument. Nevertheless, they didn't have any real proof.

"C-Come on, Flynn," she said, laughing nervously. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? Maybe you should take a deep breath and calm down a sec."

"It all fits, Mia. It's not just me. Back at the parade, even though he was after Tron specifically, he addressed all the Imagineers! And it's no secret that many of them think he's a stuck up, know-it-all, better-than-you, kinda guy. A real snob, man. So maybe he's finally snapped and decided to make his move. Only, he didn't succeed at the parade. So now... now he found the perfect opportunity to take Tron away from me and toss me out on my ass. Basically, when you tattled to Channing, you gave him all the ammunition he needed to act against me."

Mia lowered her gaze, flushing shamefully. "I... I'm sorry."

Flynn threw himself back down onto the couch, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "If it weren't for Blair, I wouldn't have a job at all now. But I tell ya, if I could just get back into the institute, this aggression would not stand, man!"

Mia looked at him, aghast. "You can't, Flynn! You have to wait until the two weeks are up. If you go back now and get caught, you'll really lose your job. And you might even go to jail for reals!"

Flynn gazed at her with an exasperated expression. "Well, now nothing can stop him. He's there, he's got Tron, and he's gonna do... who knows what with him." He shook his head and buried his face in his hands in frustration. "Why is it that there's always someone who wants to steal, take credit for, or create knock-offs of my work?"

Mia frowned. Did that happen often?

"On top of things with Edward not going well, nothing has been going right for me."

"What? I-It didn't go well?"

But Flynn was too wrapped up in his own spiel to acknowledge her question.

"Tron is the only good thing I've got going for me, and he's not even really my creation!" Flynn slumped back onto the couch, not really looking at anything. "Damn," he said, laughing mirthlessly. "Piggybacking off my brother's work... Maybe I'm not that much better."

Mia lowered her gaze, staring at her feet. So, Tron was the only good thing going for him? Was that really how he felt?

"W-Well," said Mia, staring at her feet and feeling like she should do something to make up for getting Flynn in trouble. "Maybe... Maybe I could help somehow. I could go to the Imagination Institute and—"

"Mia, you've done enough!"

Mia lowered her head. Her eyes stung and her throat felt tight. Flynn had never spoken to her like that before.

Flynn couldn't stop himself. He was just in such a foul mood, that even Mia, whom he really liked, was coming off as an annoyance to him. He hated this. He hated the way he was feeling in this moment. He usually longed to be a much more positive person. Unfortunately, everything seemed to be working against him. Sighing he shook his head.

"Look, I appreciate the food, but... maybe you oughta go."

Mia's breath hitched in her throat. She sat a moment longer with her head hanging, doing her best to muster up composure. "Y-Yeah, sure," she said as nonchalantly as possible. She rose from her seat and pulled her satchel over her shoulder. "You can keep what's left of my food, too," she said, forcing a very weak smile that seemed to quiver. "I just remembered I don't eat." She gave an awkward little laugh, hardly aware of what she'd said. "Sorry for being such a shitty friend, Flynn. I g-guess I h-haven't had a lot of p-practice." Mia drew the back of her hand across her eyes and sniffled. "T-Take care, okay?"

She turned and bolted out the door. As Mia ran down the stairs, the waterworks started. By the time she'd reached the ground level, a ragged sob was wrenched from her throat. The pool sharks, who'd snuck outside for another smoke, called out to her.

"Hey, babe! Don't cry! If Flynn don't want ya', we'll show ya' a good time."

Mia ignored them as she revved up the Light Cycle and took off down the street, now wondering if perhaps she should return it. But for now, she pushed the cycle to its limit, trying to put as much distance between her and Flynn as possible. The worst part of it all was, she never did find out how things went with Edward.

Flynn watched her from the window of his apartment. With a sigh, he thumped his head against the glass panes. "Way to keep people on your side, Flynn."


	8. Stealing Tron

Mia drove aimlessly, not entirely certain where she was headed until she found herself at Progress Park. She walked through the autumn chamber. It reminded her of Wisconsin in the fall. She wandered among the glowing jack-o-lanterns, kicking up leaves and feeling homesick. She'd never gotten the chance to ask Flynn how it had gone with her father, of what he had said, or anything of the sort. She knew nothing more now than she did before Flynn left. And now... now she may never get the opportunity to ask. Not with how Flynn was behaving. Not with the way he felt about her right now.

Mia sprawled out on a bench, gazing up through a canopy of red, orange, and yellow leaves and listening to the music that played throughout the park.

_When autumn falls, it's a harvest show_   
_With north winds blowing all the seeds that it must sow_   
_Come winter time, the rain must fall,_   
_'till once again the new year and the springtime call_

_Let's listen to the land we all love,_   
_Nature's plan will shine above,_   
_Listen to the land, listen to the land..._

Mia sat up and shouted at the crystalline ceiling. "Don't you ever play anything else?"

_Let's listen to the land we all love,_   
_Nature's plan will shine above,_   
_Listen to the land, listen to the land..._

"Ugh! This land can eat my butt!" Mia shouted, leaping from the bench and running out of the park.

She hopped on her Light Cycle and tore off through Epcot. She had come to a decision. The more she thought about it, the more worrisome this whole thing with Tron and Yokai was becoming. She could almost see where it _could_ be Channing. And if what Flynn said was right, despite how he felt about her now, she had to do what she could to save Tron. And so, she sped off for the Imagination Institute.

Mia pulled into the Institute's courtyard. As she hopped off her bike and tucked the baton into her pocket, she saw a crowd of college students standing around a man to whom she'd yet to be introduced, but recognized as Professor Brainard. A tall, well-groomed man in his late 40's, Professor Brainard always wore the same sweater vest over a button-down dress shirt and bow tie, giving him a modest, though easily recognizable appearance. Today he was giving the students a demonstration of Flubber, his trademark invention. Mia couldn't help but pause a moment to watch as Professor Brainard ironed some Flubber onto the bottom of one of the students' shoes.

"All right, Phillips... Now... I want you to... uh... as hard as you can... jump. Give us all a really good... uh... jump. And don't worry. We've got the... uh... the... uh..." He snapped his fingers as he stammered, trying to jog his memory.

"Crash mat?" said one of the students.

"Crash mat!" exclaimed the absentminded professor. "Yes. Thank you, Wickowski. We have the crash mat to break your fall. Now, give us a good... uh... jump."

Phillips, a tall, athletic student who looked like he could easily be a basketball player, gave his best jump. When his shoes touched the ground again, he bounced several feet into the air.

"Whoawhoawhooooaaa!!!"

His arms and legs flailed until he landed on his back on the crash mat. The students applauded delightedly, many requesting a turn of their own. But it was then Professor Brainard caught sight of Mia and broke away from the crowd to hail her.

"Oh! Miss.... Miss uh... Miss Mercurial! Might you be at all interested in joining this class of, uh, Medfield students and uh... taking part in a... uh... Flubber demonstration? It's a real... uh... a real... uh... hoot! It's a real hoot!"

"Thanks, but I may have to take a raincheck on that, Professor. I did enjoy your Flubber cars at the parade, though. They were great."

The professor was pleased by her compliment. "Yeah? You liked them? Well... uh... Really... the hardest part of that was tracking down all the little cars. Infusing Flubber into their uh... their uh... fuel lines was the easy part. I'm really glad you enjoyed them."

"Absolutely! We should have another parade sometime. I'd love to see what else everyone can do."

"For you, Miss... uh... Miss Mercurial, we'd be... uh... we'd be delighted! Let me know if you change your mind about joining our little, uh... our little, uh, study group."

Mia hesitated. "Actually, Professor, I was wondering... Do you think I could borrow a bit of Flubber? I, uh, wanted to play a prank on, uh... Tadashi. Yeah, Tadashi."

Professor Brainard rubbed his chin and arched an eyebrow. "Well... uh... let's see... I don't know. It might be a bit dangerous if you don't know how to handle it properly." He tilted his head thoughtfully, then shrugged. "But what the heck? I can appreciate a good... uh... a good... uh... uh... bit of jocularity every now and then. Here."

Brainard handed her a canister the size of a small jam jar. Inside was a wad of dark green substance. Then, he gave her a glove with a glowing sensor built into the palm.

"Take this mitt. It's got a Flubber attractor inside of it. Activate it... and the, uh... Flubber... will come back to your hand. You know, in case it starts getting out of... out of... out of hand. Flubber can be tricky. It doesn't tend to slow down. It will bounce perpetually off of solid surfaces until it is... uh... stopped."

Mia was pleased, though a little surprised that Brainard had so readily agreed to her request. It would seem that being the Dreamfinder's daughter had its perks, for she felt this is what must surely account for his willingness to accommodate to her.

"Got it. Thanks, Professor!" She gave him a winning smile and headed into the Institute.

In Progress Park, when Mia had come to the decision to steal Tron, she didn't exactly have a plan and went off flying half-cocked. It was nothing short of sheer providence that she'd come across Professor Brainard in the middle of a Flubber demonstration. She could use the Flubber as a distraction for Channing and the Institute's security, allowing her to sneak into Flynn's lab and steal Tron's disc. There was just one problem with that. Flynn's lab was likely locked and she didn't have a way in.

Mia was so lost in thought over how she was going to pull this off that she didn't notice Bonnie Appetite until she practically ran into her.

"Woah there, Miandra," said the pretty blonde, placing her hand on Mia's shoulders to steady her. "If there was ever an illustration for 'lost in thought,' that'd be you, dear. Everything all right?"

"Wha...? Oh, y-yeah. Everything's... everything's fine."

Bonnie frowned. "Are you sure? I mean... I heard what happened with Flynn. I thought maybe, considering that the two of you are so close, you'd be quite understandably upset."

Mia chewed her lip, her eyes darting about for any sign of Channing. She liked Bonnie and didn't want to offend her, but if Bonnie kept her here talking about Flynn, sooner or later Channing would find her and want to know what she was up to. Then her plan would be a bust.

"Y-Yeah," Mia replied distractedly. "I'm pretty upset. I don't think they handled the whole thing very well. I mean, having him arrested? Anyway, Bonnie, I—"

"Oh, what's that you've got there?" asked Bonnie, leaning down to take a look at the jar Mia was holding. "Is that Professor Brainard's Flubber?"

_Shit,_ thought Mia. This was getting too risky. Now she'd have to take Bonnie into her confidence. Grabbing Bonnie by the hand, Mia pulled her into the women's restroom.

"Okay, look, Bonnie, I'm gonna level with you," she said. "I'm up to no good."

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow.

With a sigh, Mia explained everything; of Flynn's concern about Yokai attempting to steal Tron from the Institute and how he'd discovered that microbots had been redacted from the Institute's archives, suggesting that Yokai, whoever he may be, was in some way affiliated with the institute, all the while watching Bonnie's eyes grow ever wider.

"Miandra... This is quite serious. Why not tell your father? Surely he could—"

Mia shook her head. "No, I can't tell him. See, I, uh, kinda had a big fight with him over this whole thing with Flynn and the Rainbow Corridor, so now isn't exactly the best time to enlist his help. And besides that, our primary suspect is... Well, it's Dr. Channing."

"Dr. Channing?" Bonnie exclaimed in disbelief. "But Channing is... Well, he's..."

"Silly, bumbling, and borderline incompetent," Mia finished. "I know. It's the perfect cover. And think of it this way. Everyone thinks Channing is... well, everything I just said he is, and I'm sure he knows it. This Yokai guy had a huge beef with the Imagineers. Channing, even though he's the chairman, hasn't really made any big contributions to the Institute. He's bitter. He wants revenge!"

"That may be true, but I just can't imagine Dr. Channing—"

"But it has to be, Bonnie! It's like I said, Flynn found the microbots in the Institute archives! And when Flynn got back from Earth, Channing was waiting for him with the AMPA. He could've just had him suspended or arrested, or both. But he made a big point of having Tron taken from him! He insisted it was Institute property, but it's not! It's Flynn's brother, Alan's work! Why would Channing want it so badly?"

"I don't know," said Bonnie, frowning thoughtfully. "It is true that Channing has never particularly liked Flynn. Everyone knows Flynn wouldn't have even been offered a job here if it wasn't for Blair. I mean, don't get me wrong. Flynn is brilliant and deserves to be here, but Blair's the one who talked Channing into hiring him. Channing just thinks of Flynn as a nuisance. That much has always been clear."

"You see?" said Mia. "He has it in for Flynn! Why else would he take Tron from him? And we all know Yokai was after Tron, too. It all fits!"

Bonnie tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'm still not entirely convinced, but I do admit... it's pretty suspicious."

"So you see? If it _is_ Channing, getting my dad involved would alert Channing to our suspicions, and the last thing I want is for Yokai to be—"

"Onto you. I get it. But what does this have to do with Flubber?"

"It's a distraction," Mia explained. "I plan to unleash it inside the Institute. While Channing's distracted, I'll sneak into Flynn's office and steal Tron. The only problem is... Well, I don't know exactly how I'm going to gain access to Flynn's lab," she admitted somewhat sheepishly.

"I can help you there," offered Bonnie. "Channing has an all-access keycard which can open any door in the Institute. That's what you're going to need. He wears it at all times, clipped to the breast pocket of his lab coat. If you let me help you, I know a way we can get it off him."

Mia hesitated, studying Bonnie with a dose of skepticism.

"Please, Miandra. Trust me. Flynn is a dear friend of mine, too. And if there's any chance that someone at the Institute, be it Channing or whoever, might be after Tron, I want to do anything I can to help. Please? Won't you let me?"

"Well... all right," said Mia. "What's your plan?"

Dr. Channing, having acquired some down-time and believing himself to be quite alone, was taking repose in the Game Lounge just off the atrium. He had to be sneaky about his visits to the arcade. If that troublesome Kevin Flynn ever discovered that he, Nigel E. Channing, the no-nonsense chairman, came here to enjoy the gaming lounge that Flynn put together, he'd never hear the end of it.

Channing hovered over the Pac-Man machine, going at it with almost violent zest. "Come on, you bloody glutton! Eat the dots! Eat them! We'll reclaim that top spot yet!" He was playing so hard the game cabinet was practically rocking. "Ooooh... no, no, no! Not the pink ghost! That tricky devil!"

"My, my, Dr. Channing," came a voice from behind him.

Dr. Channing spun around to see none other than Bonnie Appetite, the head of kitchen staff and entertainer extraordinaire, leaning against one of the arcade machines, giving him a playful smile. And boy, did she look appetizing.

"M-Miss Appetite! I didn't hear you come in!"

From behind him came the unmistakable sound of Pac-Man dying, a pitiful boo, boo, boo, boo sound. Channing inwardly cursed. He'd been so close to reclaiming the leader board.

"I never would have pegged you for the gamer type," Bonnie teased, batting her eyelashes and making him quite forget his dismay over losing the game.

"Wh-What? Me? A gamer? D-Don't be absurd. I was just looking for... the plug. Yes! The plug. So that I could unplug these infernal distractions."

"This is the one where the yellow ball eats all the little dots, right?" she asked, trailing her finger almost sensually along the arcade machine. "Perhaps you should teach me sometime. Oh, and speaking of eating..." She fixed those large blue doe eyes on him. "I haven't seen you in the dining hall for one of my performances lately. I'm beginning to think maybe you don't enjoy them."

Oh, how she pouted with those luscious lips of hers! For a moment, Channing just gaped at her. Then, he gave his head a small shake.

"Oh! No! No! Not at all! Why, I think they're, uh, they're stupendous! Absolutely charming! It's just... well... I've had a lot of work fall into my lap as of late. I just haven't had the time, Miss Appetite."

Bonnie moved closer to him. "Do you really mean it? You think my performances are charming?" She raised a hand to her mouth and giggled. "That really means the world to me, Dr. Channing."

Channing gulped, blushing fiercely. Bonnie was so attractive. A total babe. It was a wonder she didn't have hundreds of men lining up to court her. Or maybe she did. So why was she here of all places, talking to him?

Bonnie lowered her gaze demurely. "I know I'm not a scientist or anyone particularly special, but I do hope that I'm at least some sort of asset to the Institution. I really do try my best to make people smile."

"Oh, yes! Of course, of course!"

Bonnie slinked ever closer, closing the gap between them. "Do I make _you_ smile, Nigel?"

Nigel was wearing quite the grin as he blushed and chuckled nervously. "Uuuhh... Heheheh... Well, uh—"

They were interrupted by a loud bang, and suddenly a squishy green blob came hurdling towards them like some possessed creature. Bonnie gasped and threw herself against Channing, letting out a damsel-like cry.

Channing's eyes went wide at the sight of the green mass flying at them. "Whoa! Look out!" He threw himself and Bonnie to the floor, shielding her from what could have been a rather nasty blow. He lay atop Bonnie, his forearms planted on the floor on either side of her head.

"Flubber! I _told_ Ned that the demonstration was only supposed to be outside! _Out... side!_ "

Bonnie clung to the lapels of his lab coat, her face buried against his chest as she shuddered against him. But slowly, she lifted her wide-eyed gaze to him.

"Oh! Why, Dr. Channing... You saved me! And they say chivalry is dead," she said, offering him a dazzling smile.

Channing glanced down into those lovely blue eyes. That smile she was giving him made him feel suddenly rather noodle-legged. "W-Well, I... I..."

Bonnie watched as the Flubber bounced around the arcade before flying out the door and into the room beyond.

"Oh dear. You'd better stop that thing, Nigel. It could make quite the mess."

Channing's eyes went wide. "Oh no... Not the atrium! Not the glass again!" He scrambled to his feet and quickly dashed out of the arcade lounge. "Where's Brainard with that bloody Flubber Mitt!?"

As Channing scurried off to the atrium, Mia came out of her hiding place behind the Space Paranoids game. As she helped Bonnie to her feet, Bonnie handed her the all-access keycard she had swiped from Channing when they'd fallen.

"He didn't even notice," she said with a grin, "Now you'd better hurry along to Flynn's lab. If Nigel talks to Brainard before you get Tron's disc, he'll find out you were behind this and you won't have a chance."

Mia nodded, clasping the keycard tightly in her hand. "Right. Thanks again, Bonnie!" With that, she hurried out of the atrium and down the escalator with Channing's yells and furious exclamations fading behind her.

She hurried down to the second-floor corridor and turned the corner to Flynn's lab. She held the keycard up to the scanner and the door slid open, permitting her entrance. Mia stepped inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Tron's disc was in its usual dock. She had feared that Channing might have put it elsewhere. It seemed nothing short of fortuitous that he'd returned it to Flynn's room.

Not bothering to consider the implications of this, Mia grabbed the disk and stuffed it into her satchel. Then, she raced out of the lab, the door closing and locking behind her. She passed Channing's office on the way and quickly slid the keycard beneath his door. Better he thought he'd dropped it in his office than to get suspicious of Bonnie later.

Once Mia reached the Institute's lobby, she placed Professor Brainard's mitt on her hand and pressed the button to recall the Flubber. The sound of breaking glass from somewhere high above told her the Flubber was on its way. Then, she saw it. The green blob was whizzing down the marble staircase right for her. Mia braced herself like a catcher ready for the pitch. The Flubber slammed into her glove with enough force to send her skidding backwards. Mia planted her feet and did her best to withstand the force, but she continued to slide, fearing she was about to lose her balance when a pair of hands came to her shoulders from behind and steadied her.

"Woah there, Miandra!"

It was Tadashi. He held her steady as she wrangled the Flubber back into the jar.

"Wow," he said. "That was a close one. What're you doing with—"

Mia turned to him and put a finger to her lips. "I was never here," she said quietly.

"I saw nothing," said Tadashi with a wide grin.

Mia had to hand it to Tadashi as he walked away, whistling nonchalantly. He certainly took things in stride. She was glad to know that if the worst were to happen, he'd be on their side.

All in all, the plan had gone as smoothly as could be expected, given that Flubber was an X-factor amongst all the variables that could go wrong. It was just a bit of collateral damage, nothing that the Imagination Institute hadn't gone through countless times in the past during some other experiments gone awry.

With the Flubber safely contained within the jar, Mia hurried back outside before Channing could discover her. She found Professor Brainard in the courtyard and pushed the jar and the glove into his hands.

"Here, Professor," she wheezed.

"Ah. Miss Mercurial. How'd it turn out?"

"Uh, you should know, my, uh, prank didn't go over too well. I kinda lost control of it and it went wild around the Institute."

"Oh... Oh dear."

"Channing's on a rampage now, and, gosh, I really am super sorry, but could you not tell him it was me? I don't want to get in trouble with my dad, okay?"

"Well, uh... I suppose..."

Mia quickly hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Perhaps her position as the Dreamfinder's daughter and a bit of Bonnie's technique might convince Brainard to keep his mouth shut.

"Thanks again, Professor! Bye!"

She activated the Light Cycle and tore off, leaving the institute far behind her.

Brainard smiled as he rubbed his cheek. "Huh... Well, I'll be."

~~~

It was late in the evening when Mia returned home. She entered the house and stopped dead in the kitchen. Her father, Cindy, and Snow were sitting at the kitchen table. Mia's expression darkened.

"Oh great," she muttered. "So now everyone's here to gang up on me and tell me how foolish and ill-behaved I was and how I put everyone in danger. Well, I'm not in the mood to hear it." She hung her leather jacket on the coat rack and made for the living room.

"Miandra," called Snow. "It's not like that! I mean, yeah, what you did was foolish. But we understand why and—"

"Do you, though?" asked Mia, rounding on Snow. "Because I feel like if you did, I wouldn't be getting lectures and Flynn wouldn't have gotten in so much trouble."

"Look... Miandra," said Cindy, rising to her feet, but perhaps this was a mistake as it suddenly put Mia on her guard.

"I don't want to hear it," said Mia. "I've heard it enough from _him_ this morning," she said, casting a glare at her father.

"But Miandra, it's not the rest of us we're worried about," Cindy insisted. "It's you! For whatever reason, _you're_ the Number One Desirable of the Dark Ones. We're duty bound to—"

"Oh, so now you're duty-bound? You're not truly worried about me. You're just doing your job to keep the Dark Ones from getting what they want. Is that it?"

"What? No! Miandra, you're putting words in my mouth!"

"Miandra!" said Blair, rising to his feet. "Will you please listen? You don't understand. Come sit down so we can discuss this rationally."

"I understand just fine," Mia snapped. "I understand that you never wanted me to go back to Earth and tell my dad what happened because you feel threatened by him and you're afraid of losing me again!"

She almost couldn't believe what she'd said. She hadn't meant to say it, but it just came spilling out.

"I understand that because you all overreacted at the entire situation and Flynn got in trouble, he doesn't like me anymore or want anything to do with me! I understand that perfectly." Her eyes swept over her father and the princesses. "So thanks for that. Thanks a lot!"

Bursting into tears, Mia turned and ran from the kitchen. She paused in the living room, thinking perhaps she might get some empathy from her dragon. But Figment, who was sitting on the couch reading a book, glanced up at her briefly only to quickly bury his face in the book, trying to hide.

_Great... Even Figment hates me now._

With tears running down her cheeks, Mia ran up the stairs into her bedroom. She slammed and locked the door behind her. Then she threw herself onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow.

Back in the kitchen, Blair's shoulders slumped as he slowly lowered himself back into his chair. "Oh, Miandra..." He dropped his face into his hand and let out an aggrieved sigh. " _Now_ what do I do?"

Snow placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Uncle Blair. She'll come around. I mean, I suppose she does have every right to be upset. It _is_ her father after all. I-I mean, n-not that _you're_ not her father, but this is the man who raised her, so obviously she feels very strongly about... Oh, I'm really not helping, am I?"

"Perhaps I'll try talking to her alone," said Cindy.

"Uh... I really wouldn't do that, sis," said Snow, but Cindy ignored her.

Blair didn't try to stop her. After all, everything else had failed. What was the harm in letting Cindy try? It hadn't been very long at all since he'd become reunited with Miandra and suddenly found himself the father of a teenage, nearly adult daughter. And now they were having their first fight. He sighed as he watched Cindy head upstairs. This was one of the leaders of their entire kingdom... and she was trying to deal with Blair's domestic quarrel. This was ridiculous, really. _He_ should be dealing with this himself.

Upstairs, Mia heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Go away!" she called through her tears.

"Please, Miandra..." It was Cindy. "I just want to talk. Can we? Just the two of us?"

"I'd really rather not, Cindy. Please just go away."

"But Miandra—"

"I just wanna be alone, all right?"

Cindy hesitated. She could hear Miandra crying on the other side of the door. She chewed her lip as she considered trying again, but then thought better of it. If she pushed the issue, it may only serve to push Miandra further away. Sighing, Cindy returned to the kitchen and admitted defeat.

"She's locked herself in her room and she won't talk to me."

Blair drew in a deep breath and rose to his feet. "That does it! I am Miandra's father! I will make her listen to me if I have to... if I have to... Ohh, if I have to imagine a hole right through her door!"

Puffing out his chest and attempting to look as intimidating as possible, Blair marched up the stairs to Miandra's door. With a look of severity, Blair pulled back his fist to pound on Miandra's door, but he stopped just short of coming in contact with it. He raised it again... and again... and again, but his fist never once made contact with the wood. Equally defeated, Blair returned to the kitchen.

"You're such a poor excuse for a father, Blarion. You can defeat the vile Lord of Darkness but you can't scold your own daughter?"

"Uncle Blair!" exclaimed Snow, pursing her lips. "You are _not_ a poor excuse for a father! Any of us should be lucky to have a father like you. I... I daresay some of us... some of us wish you _were_ our father." She blushed and averted her gaze. "Anyway, Miandra _is_ a teenager, after all. It was only a matter of time before she started... you know... _acting_ like one."

Cindy nodded in agreement. "If anything, it speaks to just how comfortable she's become around you that she feels secure enough to lash out at you, knowing that you won't give up on her or abandon her over a silly domestic spat or an exchange of harsh words. It's the natural development of the father-daughter relationship. No doubt she's had moments like this with her adopted father back on Earth, and she hasn't stopped loving _him_. If anything, Uncle Blair, this will make your relationship stronger."

"Yeah," said Snow. "In the meantime, just give her time. She needs her space. She'll come to you when she's ready."

"I certainly hope so," came Blair's voice, muffled in his hands. Slowly, he lifted his head, gazing morosely at the princesses. "My daughter is my whole world. If I lost her... I think I'd lose everything." With a sigh Blair lowered his gaze and shook his head remorsefully. "And no doubt... Edward feels the same way."

~~~

Mia spent the rest of the evening in bed, drifting in and out of a troubled sleep. It was remarkable just how draining crying could be. When she fully awoke, it was some time after midnight. She could hear her father's snores echoing down the hallway from his bedroom. Unable to sleep any longer, she slipped quietly out of bed, flipped on the lamp, and went to her satchel, pulling out Tron's disc. The rim glowed faintly in the dimly-lit room. Mia sat on the floor, wishing she knew how to get him out. With a sigh, she trailed a single finger along the glowing perimeter.

As though activated by her touch, a collection of blue pixels burst forth and slowly began to construct themselves into a vaguely man-shaped figure. Tron was emerging! Mia gulped, her eyes darting about the room. No doubt Tron would be confused about his whereabouts, and she mustn't let him get too loud. Who knew what her father would do if he knew she stole Tron from the institute?

As Tron fully manifested, he gazed, brow-furrowed, at his surroundings. It was the last place in which he ever expected to be brought out of stand-by mode. The last time he materialized, he'd found himself in Edward Baxter's home on Earth, which threw him for a bit of a loop, but he quickly adapted. But he fully expected to next be activated in Flynn's lab or in the Grid. He'd not anticipated the probability of finding himself in the bedroom of a teenage girl.

"Flynn?" Tron's glowing eyes searched for the one who had activated him, only to fall on the girl sitting on the floor in front of him. "Miandra?"

Looking sheepish and slightly panicked, Mia held up her hands and spoke quietly. "H-Hey, Tron... So, um, don't freak out or anything, okay? But I, uh, sorta kinda stole you from the Imagination Institute."

"Stole me? Why?" He glanced around her room as though searching for someone. "Where's Flynn? What's going on?"

Mia rose up and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Well... see, the thing is..."

She explained everything, starting with how her request to get a message to her father on Earth had been denied, and how she'd gone running, distraught, to Flynn, who'd offered to deliver the message for her. She went on to explain how he'd been gone for so long, how she'd begun to worry, and told Professor Channing instead of Blair, for fear of getting in trouble with her father. Then, she explained how, when Flynn returned, Channing and the AMPA were waiting for him, that they'd arrested him, booked him, and of how her father had bailed him out of jail.

"So, ultimately, all charges against him have been dropped and he hasn't been fired. But he _has_ been given a two-week suspension without pay, and he's not allowed back at the Institute until those two weeks are up."

She then went on to explain how Flynn had hacked into the Institute archives and found the microbots in the Institute's redacted data, leading him to believe that Yokai was somehow affiliated with the institute and, specifically, that Yokai might, in fact, be Nigel Channing.

"He was really worried out you, Tron. He was convinced someone might try and steal you and do God knows what with you while he was suspended. He was so convinced of it that I started to worry about you, too. But I didn't want Flynn getting into more trouble, so I went and got you myself." She lowered her gaze, wringing her hands nervously. "Though... Flynn doesn't know I've done it."

"I see," said Tron, gradually processing all that she'd told him. "So, you risked potential danger to get me out of harm's way. I can't say for sure whether Flynn is correct in his theory of Yokai's true identity, but, I suppose, if worse came to worse, I owe you my thanks, Miandra." Then, tilting his head to the side, he said, "You do intend to tell Flynn about all this, don't you? He can be a bit impulsive. Sometimes, despite his good intentions, things don't exactly go according to plan. I'd hate for him to not know about your selfless act and for him to do something foolish."

Mia's hands twirled even more nervously in her lap. "Well, n-no. I haven't yet. See, that's the thing... I'm not selfless. Not at all. I'm actually very, very selfish, Tron." She lowered her gaze to her fidgeting hands. "If I'd stayed long enough to hear everything Blair and the princesses and Agent Royo had to say, I would've understood the danger and the consequences that could've faced Flynn if he did this for me. But I was so upset, I just ran out on them. And then I told Dr. Channing instead of my dad because I didn't want to get in trouble, even though I know how Channing feels about Flynn. So now, because of me, Flynn's in the situation he's in. I stopped by his apartment today to bring him lunch and check on him, but... he wasn't too happy to see me."

She regaled Tron with exactly how their interaction had gone. The more she talked about it, the more her throat clenched and her eyes stung until she was crying softly.

"So now... so now Flynn h-hates me and wants n-nothing to do with me." She buried her face in her hands to muffle her sobs.

Shaking his head, Tron hunkered down in front of Mia. "Miandra. You shouldn't say such things. From what I saw on Earth, Flynn cares a great deal about you. He may be impulsive and doesn't consider every factor before heading into things, but to go through all the trouble he had to go through so willingly... That, to me, doesn't sound like someone who wants nothing to do with you." With a small, smile, he added, "Flynn just doesn't take failure well. And he likely sees this entire situation as a failure on his end."

"But when I offered to help get you from the Institute, he yelled at me! He said I'd done enough! He was really mad and told me to leave. He didn't even want me there! I know he blames me. And..." She lowered her gaze. "And I guess he should."

Tron listened as Mia vented so freely to him. He had no thoughts as to why she saw fit to do so. He didn't wonder, _Why is she putting all this on me?_ Instead, he just accepted his current duty and allowed Mia to seek comfort and empathy from him. Tron didn't have all the answers. His experience in such an area was practically nonexistent. All he could do was listen. And perhaps that was enough.

"It _is_ my fault, after all," Mia admitted, sniffling. "Trust me... Flynn doesn't want to see me right now. And my Dad's upset with me, too. _And_ the princesses. I disobeyed them all. A-And today, when I got back from the Institute, they were all here and I... I said such awful things to them. But I was so upset, I couldn't help it. And now even Figment won't talk to me!"

This last one really set her off. With a despairing wail, she threw her arms around Tron and cried into his shoulder. Mia didn't know why she was acting this way. Tron was just a program, right? And yet here she was hugging on him and telling him all her woes. Perhaps it was silly, but something about Tron just made it so easy to spill everything. Maybe it was _because_ he was a program. He was somehow safe to talk to. And yet... and yet he felt like so much more than that.

Uncertain at first, but with increasing confidence, Tron wrapped his arms around Mia and held her. This was what humans did to comfort one another, right?

Mia was almost surprised by this. What sort of program was Tron, anyway, that he would so easily and willingly do this? She wondered if even _Flynn_ knew how advanced his brother's program was. She felt so warm in Tron's embrace. When she watched the movie with her father, she never would have imagined being in such a position with its title character. Nor would she expect him to feel so warm to the touch, not with all those dark colors and cool blues.

"Oh, Tron... You know what the worst part is? All this trouble and I still don't know how it went with my dad. Flynn never told me. I guess he was so mad that he... he just didn't care if I knew or not!"

"Well," said Tron, "Flynn's interaction with your father may have gone awry..."

_I knew it,_ Mia thought dismally, her grip on Tron tightening as she buried her face in his shoulder and cried harder.

"However," he said a little more firmly, "The visit wasn't a complete bust. There _is_ one other factor to consider, Miandra."

She sniffled. "Wh-What's that?"

Tron lowered his head and spoke softly to her. "I was there, too."

Slowly, Mia pulled away and gazed questioningly up at him.

"The only way to get Edward to really listen to Flynn... was to reveal me to him. That way, Edward would actually believe anything he said. And he did."

"Th-Then what happened?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes. "What did my dad say?"

"He actually took everything rather well, all things considered. In situations such as this, the typical reaction is some form of shock; either terror or refusal to accept the truth. But for Edward... apparently, I was enough proof for him. Flynn assured him that you were well. But Edward continuously demanded that we take him to you."

"I wish Flynn could've just brought Dad with him," Mia lamented. "It would've made things so much easier. But I suppose if Flynn did that, he would've have gotten in even _more_ trouble. And as upset as I am with my mother, I wouldn't want her to be all alone. That would be hard on her."

"That's true, Miandra. And I think there was a part of Flynn who wanted to take Edward with him, but he was acting within the laws of Dizgaia. And as we know, he'd technically already broken them by bringing _you_ here. It is only because you are who you are, the Dreamfinder's daughter, that he didn't get in more trouble the first time. Anyway, after Flynn refused to do so... Well, it got, admittedly, somewhat ugly after that." Tron lowered his gaze shamefully. "I had to restrain Edward while Flynn left the house. I regret that. Very much."

Mia shrugged, but this was not quite as nonchalant as she intended. "It was probably for the best," she said. "Dad is stronger than he looks. If he got it into his head that Flynn was keeping me from him, he might've pummeled him." She sniffled and wiped at her nose. "So long as you didn't hurt him, it's... it's all right. At least... at least he knows I'm okay now."

Her eyes continued to fill with tears. She quickly wiped them away, but more followed. Nothing seemed to stem their flow. It pained Tron to see her tears, for, though he'd never cried himself, he knew what they meant. He had something more to tell her; something to give her. And truthfully, he didn't know if what he was about to share with her was going to stop her tears or make more of them. Nevertheless, he pressed on.

"There was one more thing..." Tron took a hold of his disc and held it horizontally in his hands. "Before Flynn recalled me, I had Edward record a message into my memory. A message specifically for you."

"F-For me?"

Tron pressed the disc into her hands and rose to his feet. He took a step back and closed his eyes. His circuits gave a light pulse.

"Play file 'EdBxLog001,'" he said in a stoic monotone. Then, he leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Mia glanced at Tron, then looked down at the disc in her hands. Suddenly, a holographic image of Edward sprung to life, hovering above the disc. Mia blinked in surprised.

"D-Dad?"

He began to speak.

"It's started? Oh, okay. Um... Let's see..." For a moment, he seemed to be working to find his voice. Then, finally, he began. "H-Hey, baby. It's... it's your father. I just want you to know how much I love you, Mia. I love you so, so much. If I could come to you, I would. God knows I tried, but..."

Mia watched as the holographic image wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. Seeing her father so emotional tugged at her heartstrings.

Tron simply stood by as he watched the message play out for Miandra. He could see the emotion welling up on her face. If she couldn't go back to see her family, then she at least deserved some kind of message from them. Tron wished that more could have been done. If there weren't so many dangerous factors to consider, he would have told Flynn to take Edward along. But there was Miandra's mother to consider. If Beverly had been present at the time, then perhaps bringing them back to Dizgaia might have been a possibility. As it was, a recorded message from Edward was the best Tron could do.

"You should know I, uh, may have been a bit hard on your friend... Flynn. And Tron. So when you next see that punk," said the holographic Edward with a teasing smirk, "Let him know I appreciate that he came to me at great personal risk to himself and that... and that... Well, you get the picture, sweetie. It's been almost a year over here. I thought when I saw you again... _if_ I ever saw you again... that I'd have so much to say. But now it's... it's kind of escaping me, honey. There's so many things, but so little time. I guess the most important thing I want you to know is how much I love you and how immensely proud I am of you, and how happy I am to be your father." He slid a forearm across his eyes, wiping away tears. "Ah, God..."

Mia had never seen her father so vulnerable before. As children, daughters often view their fathers as impenetrable forces of strength, and Mia was no exception. But now, it was as though she were seeing her adoptive father for the first time, without the rose-colored glasses of a worshipping child, and she found that she loved him even more.

Sniffling, Edward lowered his arm. "Well, sweetie... I hope... I hope this isn't goodbye. I hope, someday, I'll see you again. If they won't bring you back to me... Well, then maybe I'll find a way to get to you. Wait for me, sweet pea, okay?"

And with that, the message was over and the holograph disappeared. Mia held a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. Teardrops spilled from beneath her eyelashes and she rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed as she tried her hardest to suppress the sobs which so desperately wanted to escape her lips.

In this moment, watching the girl become overwhelmed with emotion, Tron, who was supposed to simply be a program created for defense purposes, felt a way that he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before. He felt sorrow for Miandra. And pity.

Mia felt the mattress shift beneath added weight and felt an arm wrap around her. She turned her gaze to Tron, pleased, but nonetheless surprised that he had initiated this contact himself.

"I'm sorry, Miandra. I wish... I wish we could have done more."

Mia shook her head, causing more tears to spill down her cheeks before she threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off the bed, but Tron withstood the force and held her close, feeling her tuck her face into the crook of his neck.

A tremor went through him. This was human touch. This is what it meant to feel. Holding Miandra, comforting her... it was all so new to him. Not since dancing with her at the parade had he experienced something like this. He liked it. It was pleasant, and he found that in this moment he wanted nothing more than to give Miandra the comfort she so desperately needed; to let her know that everything would be well again.

"You did more than enough, Tron. Thank you. It means so much to me," she said, sniffling. "It was so awful, knowing that my dad didn't know what had happened to me. I'm so glad he knows I'm okay. I wish he could be here, but I'd never want to take him away from Mom. For all her faults, she doesn't deserve to be left alone. And if Flynn had stayed too long, who knows what would have happened."

Mia took a deep, shuddering breath. For the moment, she seemed content to remain in his embrace. But then, she said something that made Tron tilt his head curiously.

"You know... maybe this sounds silly. But right now, after everything that's happened the past couple days, it feels like you're my only friend in the world right now. You're the only one who's not mad at me."

"Miandra... If I may say so, I'm sure you'll find, if you just gave them a chance, that you still have all the friends you could ever hope for. Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, Miss Appetite, the princesses, Flynn... not to mention Figment and your father here. They still care about you. If anything, they were all likely worried for your safety."

"I know," said Mia, lowering her head shamefully. "It's just that I got so mad at the princesses. I thought they were being unfair. And even when I realized that they were only trying to protect me, I still couldn't stop being angry. And because I disobeyed them, now they're upset with me. Same with my dad and Figment. Same with Flynn. As for Tiana and Naveen... I've been too afraid to face them since all this happened. I'm sure it's gotten around by now. People will be talking. As for Bonnie... well, I don't entirely know how I feel about her yet. I mean, she's nice, but... I dunno. But you... You're so much simpler, Tron. I feel like there's nothing I could do to make you mad. You just take things in stride and accept them the way they are."

Tron supposed this was true. But perhaps this was due to the simple matter that Miandra could do nothing to offend him. He wouldn't presume to tell her what to do. He wasn't her father or the princesses. The way he saw it, his only job was to protect her. And, recently, to comfort her. There truly wasn't much Miandra could do to upset him. Perhaps that made him the perfect friend. But Tron, despite his inexperience, had a feeling that wasn't the only thing that made someone a friend.

"Well, I'm more than happy to be your friend, Miandra," he said with a soft smile. "But don't write Flynn off just yet. Once he knows I haven't been compromised, he'll likely cool down. It's as I said; he takes failure very hard. He is often his own biggest detractor."

"But you should've seen him today, Tron! He was such a... such a jerk!"

Tron simply looked at her with a blank expression. He seemed hesitant to say anything negative about his user. Mia let out along sigh.

"And I guess I don't blame him," she admitted. "I shouldn't have let him go to Earth for me. I behaved too rashly, and now... now I guess I should let him know that I have you and that you're safe so that _he_ doesn't do something rash." She gazed up at Tron with shimmering eyes. "But... I'm afraid. I don't think I could bear to have him yell at me again. I'm not sure I could handle that right now. Besides that, he pretty much told me _not_ to do anything. He said I'd done enough. I feel like he might get mad if I told him what I did."

"I suppose I could go in your stead, Miandra," said Tron, rising to his feet. "But most likely, I couldn't remain there. If the wrong eyes spotted me, they may believe that Flynn broke into the Imagination Institute and stole my disc himself."

Mia leapt to her feet. "You can come back here!" she said with more eagerness than she'd intended. "Um... that is..." She blushed as she hugged his disc to her chest. "Seeing as I'm the one that took you, I feel kinda responsible for you. So you... you can stay with me. I-I mean, if you want to, that is." She lowered her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning.

Tron wasn't sure what accounted for such eagerness. Perhaps, it was Miandra's insistence that he was the only person who wasn't mad at her. Surely that wasn't true. But right now, it seemed what Miandra needed more than anything was an objective friend unattached to the current drama unfolding around her. Perhaps he should consider it his current task to provide her that companionship she so desperately sought in her time of need.

"All right," he said. "I'll come back. As it's nighttime, stealth shouldn't be an issue. Though..." He glanced at her bedroom window before looking back at her. "So as not to disturb anyone else in the house, I may have to use your window as an escape route. And I'll need my disc back. I can't go anywhere without it."

"Good idea," said Mia, handing Tron his disc. "If my dad found out I stole you, he'd freak. I'll have to keep you a secret." She felt a little giddy. The idea of having Tron to herself and keeping him a secret was somewhat exciting.

Tron returned his disc to his back and opened her window. Just as he slung a leg over the sill, she called out to him.

"W-Wait!"

Tron paused, looking at Miandra, who chewed her lip in a way that seemed to indicate feelings of anxiety.

"Y-You promise you'll come back, right?"

"Of course. You have my word, Miandra." A collection of white pixels appeared in his hand, taking the shape of a familiar baton. "Fortunately, Flynn added a few accessories to my program when he was repairing my damaged code. This should get me there and back quickly enough."

With a final smile and a reassuring nod to Miandra, Tron leapt out the window, activating his Light Cycle as he dropped. By the time he touched ground, he was already astride the bike. A helmet materialized over his head as he sped off into the night.

Mia watched him go, chewing nervously on her thumbnail. Did she do the right thing? Would it have been better to have gone to Flynn herself? She hadn't wanted to; not after their last interaction. Flynn was mad at her. He didn't want to see her, and she wasn't sure she could face him. But was making Tron do it the right way to go about it? What if someone saw him and recognized him? What if Yokai went after him? Silently cursing her cowardice, Mia sat at her desk at the window and waited anxiously for him to return.

~~~

Tron had remote access to all of Flynn's data. A simple plugging in of Flynn's address into the Light Cycle's built-in GPS showed Tron the way. He guided the bike downtown. It was a good thing both Flynn and Mia had Light Cycles of their own. That way no one would find the sight of one rolling through Downtown Main Street particularly odd. After all, Tron couldn't afford to draw too much attention to himself.

Perhaps it was risky, but Mia didn't have the courage to pass the message on to Flynn herself. Her feelings had been hurt and she feared another outburst from Flynn. Thus, it was up to Tron to let Flynn know what had occurred – and soon, too, before Flynn did something rash, as he was often wont to do.

Tron pulled up to the pool hall, above which was the apartment he knew to be Flynn's. Now what to do? The door to the second floor was locked. A button beside the door suggested one way of gaining access was by buzzing the occupant and convincing them to permit entrance. But would Flynn respond to a buzz this time of night? And what would he do if the person on the other end claimed to be Tron?

Waiting outside was risky. Perhaps there was a safer way to do this. Not knowing quite why he did it, merely that he had a compulsion to do so, Tron closed his eyes and concentrated. Gradually, he broke down into a collection of glowing blue pixels which slowly dissipated only to reappear and slowly reform in Flynn's apartment.

Flynn had been doing his best to keep himself occupied during his time away from the Institute. It was all he could do to keep his mind off things – his worry for Tron, as well as the temptation to sneak into the institute and steal Tron's disc. He had every right to do so. And surely Tron would be safer with _him_ than at the Institute where he was a sitting duck waiting for Yokai (who may very well be Dr. Channing himself) to capture him. Flynn could only hope Professor Mercurial would keep an eye on things at the Institute. And it was because Professor Mercurial had bailed him out and convinced Channing not to fire him that Flynn was doing his best to behave. To risk getting in trouble all over again would make Blair's noble efforts all for naught. But it was hard. Damn hard.

And so, he distracted himself by working diligently on his latest project; a way to utilize a digitizer remotely. There were only four digitizers in existence. The original, belonging to its creator, Dr. Walter Gibbs, one in Paridon, one in Agrabah, and Flynn's very own back in his lab at the Imagination Institute. And all of them worked the same. They transfigured a human, or an object, into data and sent them into a computer – specifically, The Grid, which was Flynn's own invention.

However, the person or object in question had to be within so many feet of the actual digitizer for it to work. But with _this_ project, Flynn hoped to make that process a little more remote via a phone app that, if he succeeded, would be able to digitize objects from his office, such as any tools he might use or require at any given time, and have them brought to him instantaneously through the program. He had a long way to go, especially now that he was without his phone. Dr. Channing had seen to that. But the basic program was coming along nicely.

"Lookin' good so far, Matrix. Lookin' real good. CLU, configure remote digitization interface."

"Yes, sir."

Flynn was so lost in his work that he never even noticed the blue pixels forming behind him. Tron manifested in the middle of the studio apartment on the rug that Flynn had imported from Zhongguo when he first moved into his bachelor pad; a bit of décor he claimed to need because it 'really tied the room together.'

"Flynn."

Flynn jumped up from his chair, grabbing a stapler off his desk as he whirled around, holding it out in front of him as if it were a weapon. But as Flynn's eyes settled upon who addressed him, his eyes widened and he dropped the stapler.

"Wh-What? Tron? TRON!" Flynn ran to the program, clapping his hands on Tron's shoulders. "Tron, man... How the hell did you get here?"

Tron tilted his head as though trying to assess exactly how he'd arrived here. "I believe I... teleported?"

Flynn gaped at him. "You... You teleported?"

After a moment of further thought, Tron nodded resolutely to himself. "Yes, I teleported from below your window. I didn't want to ring the buzzer. I feared attracting too much attention to myself. Though now that I think about it, I suppose if anyone saw me dematerialize, that might also draw some attention. Hmm."

Flynn shook his head in disbelief. "How? The damn AMPA took my phone! I can't recall your disc to me. How could you just... teleport in here?"

Tron nodded at what he perceived to be a perfectly logical question. "I simply... willed it. It's new to me, too, Flynn. I surprised even myself. Perhaps this warrants further study."

"You're telling me. But..." Flynn's brows furrowed and he tilted his head to the side, studying the program. "How did you get out of the Imagination Institute? You were supposedly being kept under lock and key! How is it you got all the way here? You didn't just teleport all the way here from the Institute. That seems a little too... out there... even for you, man."

"That's true. I did not. It certainly doesn't seem plausible. As for how I got out of the Institute, the reason for that is exactly why I've come to see you, Flynn." Tron hesitated, seeming to study Flynn, almost as though he were searching, or perhaps waiting for something. Perhaps a reaction to what he said next. "It was Miandra who got me out."

Flynn stared at Tron in disbelief. Finally, he found his words. "Miandra... _Mia_ got you out of the Institute?" He took a step back and shook his head. "Wait... wait... wait... Sherman, crank-up the Way-Back Machine. Mia? She... she _stole_ your disc from the Institute? We're talking about Miandra Mercurial, right?"

"Yes," said Tron, uncomprehending of Flynn's peculiar reaction. "I am only aware of one Miandra. Is there another?"

"Well, jeez, man!" Flynn exclaimed ignoring Tron's question. "How'd she do it?"

"Well, from what she told me, apparently a distraction involving Professor Brainard's Flubber was involved, as well as assistance solicited by Miss Appetite. Miandra managed to distract Dr. Channing, steal his all-access keycard, and break into your lab to acquire me."

"Oh hohohooo! Man! That clever kid! I wish I coulda seen all that! It sounds like it woulda been amazing!"

Tron crossed his arms and tilted his head, studying Flynn further. "It would appear she went through a good deal of trouble to save me... for you. Which brings me to why I'm here." Tron's eyes narrowed. "I would like you to avoid doing anything rash so as not to make Miandra's heroics for naught. So please, while I'm staying with Miandra, try and behave yourself. She would have come to tell you this herself, were she not so... nervous... about seeing you again."

Flynn's smile slipped away. "Nervous about seeing me? Why is...?"

He stopped abruptly, his question going unfinished as another thought interrupted it. Did Tron just say he was staying with Miandra?

"Wait a minute... What do you mean 'Staying with Miandra'? Why are _you_ staying with _her_? You're both out of your freakin' minds if you think I'm letting you out of my sight, man! I can't risk anything happening to you again!"

Tron crossed his arms and gazed firmly at Flynn. "I'm afraid that's not up to you, Flynn. Particularly when you're being so rash. Consider the situation logically. If anyone at the Institute were to discover my disc missing, who's the first person they'd suspect? _You_. And when they inevitably came here, they'd find me, validating their suspicions and landing _you_ right where you started... In a jail cell and permanently fired from your job. And _that_ will put _me_ right where you don't want me... Back at the Institute and potentially in the hands of someone like Yokai."

"Yeah, man... I don't need the reminder," Flynn muttered bitterly.

"Good. Then you understand why I will be staying with Miandra until your suspension is over and you return to work. I assure you I will be perfectly safe in the Mercurial home. Miandra is smart and courageous. I have no doubt she'll look after me."

Flynn lowered his gaze. Tron was right. He'd be an idiot to keep Tron here with him. Mia did him a _huge_ favor. After all, what place would be safer than the Dreamfinder's house?

"Besides... I promised her I'd return. I don't like to break promises." Tron turned towards the window, looking like he was about to depart, but he stopped halfway there and glanced back at Flynn. "Miandra cares about you, Flynn. Otherwise she wouldn't have gone through the trouble to get me. Perhaps, when this is all over, you can thank her."

Somehow, the way Tron said that felt accusatory. In fact, Flynn was certain that Tron was actually scolding him in some way.

"Now hang on just a second!" he demanded, starting after Tron. "Look... why don't I just go with you now, man? I could talk to Mia! And maybe... maybe I can convince her that—"

"Flynn, you've done enough," said Tron, perhaps more sharply than he intended.

Flynn froze like a deer in headlights. That was quite the verbal lashing from Tron... and one that struck a familiar chord with him. It was the same line he, himself, had used on Mia earlier. Perhaps Tron's was not as vicious, but certainly firm. Maybe firmer than he'd intended. So this was how it felt to be on the receiving end. No wonder Mia didn't want to see him right now.

He stared at Tron in a state of disbelief, somewhere between hurt and angry. Truth be told, Flynn was such a conflicted bundle of emotions that he didn't know what to feel. He wanted to see Mia. But he couldn't. He wanted to keep Tron. But he shouldn't. He just wanted everything to be back to normal. But... he had to wait. And waiting... that wasn't something he was particularly good at.

Letting out a human-like sigh, Tron turned to face Flynn fully. "I assure you I will be perfectly safe. In the meantime, perhaps give Miandra some space and a little time to recoup. She's been through a lot and I'm not sure she's ready to see you. After all, that's why I came to give you this message in her stead. I think right now the best use of your time would be to relax and work on one of your projects, and, specifically, _not_ do anything rash. All right?" Without waiting for a reply, Tron depixelated.

Flynn ran to the window.

"TRON!"

He got to the window just in time to watch the Light Cycle speed off down the street.

Flynn curled his hand into a fist and pressed it against the window. He'd essentially just got talked to like he were a child in need of admonishment; chastised. He felt like he just got sent to his room without supper. Flynn's frustration was high. He wanted to yell. He wanted to send his fist pounding into the glass. But he simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After all, to do all that would be a very un-Flynn thing to do.

"You just need to wait, Flynn," he told himself. "It'll all be over soon. Everything will be fine."

He retreated from the window and walked back to the middle of his apartment. This was his domain. His palace. His world. The place where he hung his hat. He'd always thought of his apartment as the most comfortable bachelor pad in Downtown Main Street. But now...

Flynn dropped to his knees on the rug and hung his head. Right now, more than anything... this place felt like a prison.

~~~

When Tron arrived back at the Mercurial residence, he pulled up just beneath Miandra's window. It was still open, awaiting his return. He cut the engine and the Light Cycle reverted to baton mode, which he reintegrated with his code. Once more utilizing his newfound ability, Tron depixelated and re-manifested inside Miandra's bedroom.

He expected an eager greeting and a multitude of questions about his meeting with Flynn. But instead, all was quiet. Tron's eyes swept the room, falling at last upon Miandra, asleep at her desk beside the window with her head resting on her arms. The cool night breeze ruffled the curtains and her long hair, making her shiver. It appeared that she'd sat here awaiting his return, only to fall asleep.

Smiling fondly at the girl, Tron gently lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, tucking her beneath the covers.

"Sleep well, Miandra."


	9. Tron's Day Out

Mia slept soundly throughout the night, but the following morning she awoke with a start, suddenly recalling the events of the previous night. She had been waiting for Tron to return and she fell asleep! How foolish could she be? What if something happened to him? Mia sat up in bed, her eyes wide and hair tousled.

"Tron!" she exclaimed, throwing off the covers. "Oh no..." She glanced wildly around her, searching for any sign of the program or his disc.

Finally, she found him. He was standing by her bedroom window, the morning sun illuminating him in a way that no glowing circuits could. In the right light, his pale, grayish skin almost made him look like he was just simply a pale man. Slowly, he turned his gaze to her.

"Hm? Oh, Miandra. I'm sorry. I guess my mind was elsewhere. You know," he said, his gaze moving out the window. "This is the first time I've ever watched the sun rise. It really is something to behold." Then, turning back to her – "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I was just worried. I'm glad you're okay." She joined him at the window. "So are you serious? You've never seen the sunrise?"

The idea of someone having never seen a sunrise struck her as incredibly depressing. Then again, she supposed Tron wasn't exactly a person. It was easy to forget.

"I guess you really don't get out much," she said. "Flynn should let you outta that disc more. But so long as you're here, I can show you all kinds of things. If you'd like, we could even watch the sunset this evening."

"If it's as nice as the sunrise is, I wouldn't mind that at all." Tron's gaze lingered on Mia just a bit longer before he took to looking out the window once more. "This has been the longest I've gone without being sent back into stand-by mode. Usually, when a task is finished, Flynn recalls me and I go back, waiting for the next assignment, or whenever Flynn wants to train on the Grid with me. I've never thought about what it would be like to just... keep going."

"Really? This is the longest you've been out? Tron, that's... Well, that just sucks. We should definitely change that." Her face lit up, as though a sudden epiphany had dawned on her. "Hey! I just got a cool idea. What if I took you out and showed you around? We could make a day of it. Sure beats staying cooped up in my room."

"Go out? Show me around?" He sounded excited but hesitant. "Do you believe that wise? After all, I'm sure I'd stand out in a crowd. It seems..." An almost disappointed expression came over his face. "It seems counterproductive. Especially since I'm supposed to stay out of sight."

"Oh," said Mia, turning her gaze to the floor. "Right."

She stood beside him, silent and thoughtful. Then, she snapped her fingers.

"Aha! I got it! Wait here. I'll be right back!"

Mia emerged from her bedroom, trying to be stealthy so as not to draw attention. But it was unnecessary, for it seemed Figment had accompanied her father to the Institute today. The little dragon really did seem to be avoiding her lately. Mia's chest tightened. The thought of Figment being upset with her made her feel sick all over again, but she did her best to ignore it as she procured the things she needed. When Mia returned to her bedroom, she had a bundle of clothes and a makeup kit in her arms.

"So, hey, not to get personal, Tron, but do your clothes come off?"

"My... clothes?" said Tron, arching an eyebrow. "You mean my Grid Gear? Actually, I believe so. In my code, this suit is referred to as a mesh. Basically, I can remove it, but it'll still be in my code. So far, I have two meshes; this Grid Gear and what I wore for the parade."

"So... that's a yes then, right?"

He tilted his head curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Mia spread out the clothes she had gathered from her father's bedroom onto the bed. The outfit she had procured consisted of a white button-down shirt, black dress slacks, and shiny black loafers.

"Take off your clothes an put these on," she instructed. "They're my dad's, but they're kind of on the small side. He must've worn them when he was a bit thinner. And they're semi-cas'. Not like his steampunk stuff, so you shouldn't stand out too much."

"I see. A disguise, as it were. All right."

Tron closed his eyes and, suddenly, his Grid Gear began to dematerialized, revealing his pale, well-defined body. All that remained was a harness for his disc, which appeared to be attached to his back, and a black, form-fitting undergarment.

Mia quickly spun away from him, her cheeks flushing. "Sheesh, Tron... Have a little modesty," she said with a nervous chuckle. However, she couldn't help stealing a peek over her shoulder. For a program, Tron looked damn good.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

Mia turned back around, throwing propriety out the window. "Seriously, Tron? You may be a program, but you're a _man-shaped_ program... in a _girl's_ bedroom... getting naked. Didn't Flynn teach you anything?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that, myself," said Tron as he pulled on the pants and followed them with the button-down shirt. There was just one problem. "Uh... Miandra. Forgive me... But I think I'm having some difficulty."

Tron may be a wicked cool defense program that fought for the Utopia, but it seemed the one thing that could possibly defeat him... was buttons.

Mia laughed. Perhaps he ought to take offense to this, but the sound of her laughter was so pleasing, so appealing. Not like the buzzing, grating laughter of the CPUs in The Grid.

"All right. Let me help you."

Mia began to button his shirt, her fingers brushing his abdomen as she did so, sending tingles along his skin. She could tell he was embarrassed. She could see it on his face. There must be some kind of basic social behavior added to his program. Otherwise, how would he even know to feel embarrassed?

"It's kind of meticulous. You've gotta have some serious finger dexterity to button things. Luckily, I'm a master at buttoning," she joked. Finally, she finished, leaving the top three buttons undone. "There," she said. "Leave it open a bit like this. If we button it all the way up to your neck, you'll look like a dork. And here, don't forget the shoes," she said, handing him the sleek black loafers.

"Hm... a dork, huh?" Tron took the shoes and sat on the edge of her bed to put them on. "I'm sorry about this. You must think me foolish... needing help to dress myself. Something, I'm sure anyone could do."

"Foolish? How could I possibly think something like that? Inexperienced, maybe. But that's a totally different thing. Heck, if I could just materialize and dematerialize my clothes on and off, I'm sure I wouldn't know how to dress myself properly either. Foolish is not the word I'd used to describe you."

Tron smiled. "Thank you, Miandra."

Once he had the shoes on, Mia helped him tie the laces. Then she made him sit down in the desk chair for the next order of business.

"Okay, so the final touch to keep you from standing out is to fix up that blue-gray skin of yours. I've got some makeup here which should do the trick. You're just going to have to make sure you don't rub at your face, okay? Now sit still and close your eyes."

Tron did as she asked. Mia took out a tube of coverup, some foundation, a sponge and an applicator brush and began applying it to Tron's face. It was like painting an alabaster statue.

"Can you feel that?" she asked as she used the applicator brush to dust foundation onto his face. "Sorry if it tickles."

Tron's face twitched slightly. "It's fine. I just... never thought I'd be having to do something like this." He was silent for a moment, almost pensive, when he hit her with a question she was not expecting. "Miandra... am I... strange looking? I know I was designed this way. It's in my coding. But... do I not look right?"

Mia paused in her face-painting, totally winded by his words. She never would have expected Tron to ask something like that. Why did his question make her want to cry? He was just a program. He was probably only asking it out of curiosity. Surely, he didn't care one way or another. A program couldn't be self-conscious, could it? Then again, this was a very advanced program. And moreover, it was Tron.

"You're not strange looking," she said softly. "The word you're looking for is 'different.' But everyone's different. You're just a special brand of unique because you're... well, a program. So, when you manifest outside The Grid, you look different than regular people. But I think being different is great, Tron. And you know what? Even if you do look different, you're still attractive. Heck, I know it was mostly just to tease Flynn, but if you looked like some abomination or something, I wouldn't have kissed you at the parade."

Tron's mouth quirked into a small smile. Mia took up her painting once more, slowly blending the new tone of his face down over his neck and into the exposed part of his chest.

"I like you just the way you are, Tron. The only reason I'm doing this is so that people won't recognize you. Because let's face it, your look is pretty trademark."

She did one final go-over across his face before putting the makeup away.

"Okay," she said. "You can open your eyes now."

When he did, he saw Miandra smiling at him.

"Wanna know something else?"

She leaned towards him and lowered her voice to a murmur.

"Blue is my favorite color."

She was gazing right into his eyes when she said it. Why did his cheeks suddenly feel so hot? Was it perhaps a side effect of the makeup?

"Nevertheless," said Mia, unaware of how her comment had affected him. "We're gonna need to do something about those eyes. The glow is a bit of a give-away. I'm sure there's gotta be some sunglasses around here somewhere. But in the meantime, have a look." She opened her closet door, revealing a full-length mirror. "Come on. Don't be shy," she said, beckoning him over. "Check it out. How do you like Tron Version 2.0?"

Tron got up and went to the mirror for a look. His eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

"Is... Is that... me?"

He drew closer to the mirror, studying his reflection. He didn't look like the program he recognized. In these clothes, with his face the way it was... he looked like someone else. Flashes of memory ran through Tron's mind. Thoughts... of a user. And not _just_ a user. The one who first wrote his program. But they were distant thoughts. Almost fuzzy memories.

"...Alan1..." he murmured.

Mia gazed at him in disbelief. What did he just say? It sounded like... _Alan???_ Chewing her lip, Mia shifted uncomfortably. "Um... T-Tron? You okay?" She was beginning to worry. Was the makeover a bad idea? Suddenly, she feared she might have broken him.

Tron was so deep in thought, that he almost didn't even hear Miandra address him. At the very edge of his consciousness, however, Mia's voice rang through, enough to pull him out of whatever reverie had ensnared him.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just... caught off guard, I suppose. I had this feeling... like I can be more than just a program." He glanced at his reflection in the mirror once more before looking at Miandra again. "Do I look all right, Miandra?"

"You kidding? You look great, Tron! This outfit is totally you. Kinda sexy, actually." Mia barely thought about what she was saying. With Tron, she had no inhibitions. She found she was able to talk very freely with him. Was it because he was just a program... or was it because he felt like more than just a program?

Tron arched his brows. Did Miandra just say she thought he looked... sexy? Could a program look sexy? All of this was just so new to him. He wasn't sure about much of anything at the moment. Miandra was teaching him so much, and they hadn't even left the house yet.

"What about my hands?" he asked, glancing down at the skin which was still pale and grayish.

Mia slapped a hand to her forehead. "Crap. Forgot about them. But no worries. That's easily remedied. Come on!"

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into her father's bedroom. She opened the top drawer of his dresser only to quickly slam it shut. Mia closed her eyes and gave her head a violent shake.

"Ack! Dad's underwear drawer. Gonna have to scrub _that_ from my brain."

She tried the next drawer over.

"Aha! Here they are!"

Inside were a plethora of neatly pressed gloves of all colors.

"Man... I didn't know he had such a variety. I wonder why he doesn't accessorize more." Mia stepped back and gestured towards the drawer. "Here. Take your pick. It's your choice, Tron."

"Hmm. Professor Mercurial is fond of his gloves, it seems." Tron looked them over, finally settling on a pair. They were black with blue embroidery along the cuffs and seams of the knuckles. "These," he said with uncharacteristic eagerness. Then, he checked himself, repeating in a stoic monotone, "I suppose these will do."

"I see you have your favorite colors, too, huh, Tron?" said Mia, giving him a playful nudge. "Anyway, hurry up and put them on. I'll go find some sunglasses."

Mia scoured the house, finally having to resort to digging through boxes in the attic before she found a pair. Blair, it seemed, was not overly fond of sunglasses, but at least there was one decent pair. She returned to Tron and stood on her tiptoes as she placed them over his face.

"There," she said. "That'll hide your eyes. I'm sure you've never worn sunglasses before, so you might find them a bit off-putting at first. They're meant to dim the sun's rays. People wear them during the summer and when they go to the beach and stuff. But you should still be able to see. Er... I hope."

"I understand. It's not so different from my Light Cycle helmet. The visor is quite similar to these sunglasses."

Once this was done, Mia, eager to begin their day, took Tron by the hand and led him down the stairs and towards the front door. But in the excitement of dressing up Tron, she'd forgotten to do the same herself.

"Um, Miandra... As eager as I am to experience this day, wouldn't _you_ like to get dressed first?"

Mia screeched to a halt and gazed down at herself. She was still in her pajamas. Tron watched her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and tilted his head appreciatively. There were so many colors in the world outside The Grid and his disc, and they all seemed to mean something different.

"Heh, talk about being foolish, huh?" Still flushing, Mia lifted her hands in a 'stay' position. ""Wait there, okay? Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Tron nodded, crossing his arms as he waited by the door and watched her run back up the stairs. Mia returned to her room and rummaged through her clothes. The days were getting colder. Autumn had come to Cerenopia while she was away on Neverland and later aboard the Jolly Roger, sailing through more tropical climates.

_No, don't think about that._

Any time she had even the most passing of thoughts about Neverland or Hook's ship, it threatened to send her into depression.

After choosing an outfit, Mia stopped in the hallway, realizing that she'd forgotten to close her father's glove drawer. If Blair came home and saw that someone was rummaging through his drawers, he'd ask questions... Dangerous questions that could lead to Tron. Mia went into his room to close the drawer when something caught her eye. There was a crinkled-up piece of yellowed paper at the back of his drawer. Reaching for it, Mia's fingers latched onto what felt like not mere paper, but a piece of parchment. Curious, she withdrew it.

A letter.

She recognized the handwriting right away. And the name at the bottom confirmed it.

_JAS Hook,_

_Captain_

James! But why would her father have a letter from Captain Hook?

Hands shaking, Mia read it.

_To he who calls himself The Dreamfinder,_

_It is my sincere hope that this message finds you well. Though we be on opposing sides of this world's conflict, there is one common interest we share – the welfare of your daughter, Miandra._

_During her time aboard my vessel, I fear Miandra may have been exposed to a cursed weapon that was accidentally discharged during our battle with Vandsgaard. It was a weapon designed to poison those with inherent magical abilities; a 'Magic Killer,' if you will. If Miandra was indeed exposed to this weapon upon discharge, I fear her latent magical qualities may serve as a breeding ground for this poison, making her a perfect host for the curse._

_It was never meant for her. I never wished for her to come into contact with it. Despite our personal differences, I am bound by my good form and my personal concern for your daughter to inform you of this unfortunate circumstance. For Miandra's sake, I hope I am wrong. But if I am not, I strongly advise you to take swift action. I know of your connections to those who study the magical arts. They, if not you, should have the means to counter this curse._

_I only hope that this message finds you in time to keep the Magic Killer from doing its worst to Miandra._

_With my deepest and most sincere apologies,_

_JAS Hook_

_Captain_

Mia was trembling. White hot anger coursed through her. And intermingled with it, hurt; betrayal. Her father kept this a secret. He lied to her. While Blair and Figment's quick-thinking no doubt aided in her recovery, it was this letter from James Hook that had truly alerted Blair to the situation at hand. And he... he hadn't seen fit to tell her. In fact, he had blatantly lied to her.

Mia gripped the dresser for support. Her eyes stung. She felt ill. Never would she have suspected such deceit of Blair Mercurial of ' _He who calls himself The Dreamfinder.'_ How eloquently James had written that. And how apt! Lately, her father certainly wasn't behaving in a way befitting that moniker.

Mia could feel herself spiraling into a deep dark place when a familiar voice called her name.

"Miandra? Are you all right? Is it customary for women to take so long? Should I assist you?"

"N-No," Mia called back. "I'm fine, Tron. I'll... I'll be down in a minute!"

Wiping her eyes, Mia folded the piece of parchment and tucked it into her satchel. Then, ensuring that nothing looked out of place, Mia closed the drawer.

When Miandra returned, Tron tilted his head, appraising her appreciatively. She was wearing a long, white, off-the-shoulder sweater, black leggings and brown knee-high boots. Her hair was done up in a long braid, and her satchel hung at her side. She had dressed up so nicely for him. Was this how she would have dressed for Flynn if the date they had agreed to way back on the night of the parade had actually happened?

"Sorry that took so long," she said breathlessly.

"Miandra," said Tron, studying her. "Are you all right? You look... unwell."

"Oh. N-No. I'm fine. Really." She opened the front door and led him outside. "So," she said in a manner she hoped sounded casual. "Should we take your bike or mine?"

"Perhaps yours. My Light Cycle can be stealthy at night. But in broad daylight, it would be obvious. People have seen yours, so they won't think much of it."

"That's right. They're different models huh? It's probably for the best anyway. I don't imagine you know where you're going."

"No, indeed."

"It'll be a bit tight, so I hope you're not a prude." Mia laughed as she took her baton out of her satchel. "Oh, who am I kidding? A prude? Not you. Not the guy who stripped down to his skivvies right in front of me. So, yeah, uh, stand behind me and put your arms around me. No, no. Like this," she said, pulling his arms and placing them where she needed him. "Yeah. Hold on, okay?"

She activated her baton. The Light Cycle materialized around them both, dragging them forward. Then, they took off down Tomorrow Hill. Tron was pressed tightly against Mia's back as they rode. There wasn't much room inside the enclosed vehicle. But Tron found he couldn't complain. Mia was warm... soft... and she smelled quite pleasant. Were these all things that mattered to people? Tron wasn't used to this, but it wasn't so bad, really.

"I don't know about you," said Mia. "But I'm starving." She hesitated. "Uh... I don't suppose you eat, do you, Tron? I'm really hungry, but I don't want to just eat in front of you. That'd be kinda rude."

"Eating?" said Tron thoughtfully. "You know... I've never had the opportunity to do it. On the Grid, there's an energy stream. I don't know if Flynn showed you that. But it basically looks like luminescent water. It's amazingly refreshing. That's usually what I have when in the Grid... but I've never been out of my disc long enough to know if I even _could_ eat."

"Well, I mean, it doesn't seem likely that you'd be able to—"

Just then there was a rumbling gurgle, one which had an odd digital garble to it.

"What was that?!" Mia exclaimed.

"I-I'm not sure," said Tron. "Was that... was that me?"

"I kinda hope not, Tron. I mean, you're a program. So that just... isn't possible, right? I never really considered that I might accidentally break you or something. Do you think you're all right? Do you need to return to your disc? Oh! That's another thing I didn't think of! If you're out in the real world, you won't, you know, run out of battery life and die or something, will you?"

In her panic, the Light Cycle began to wobble. Tron gave Mia a squeeze.

"Miandra... if you don't pay more attention to your driving, I think you might break _both_ of us!"

"R-Right. Sorry."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Miandra. But perhaps we should go somewhere to test this theory."

Avoiding her friends was a necessity, out of concern that they might question the identity of her strange new companion. Therefore, Mia passed up Tiana's Palace in favor of Sparky's Diner in Epcot.

"Heya, folks!" Sparky greeted as he wheeled up to them. "Welcome to Sparky's Automated Diner, where we're always cookin' up somethin' bright! What can I get you today?"

Mia let out a soft groan. Oh, the puns... Such bad puns. She cast a glance at Tron, but he seemed more intrigued than exasperated by their host. Mia ordered for both of them.

"Two double cheeseburgers with fries and two chocolate shakes, please."

As Sparky left to put in their order, Tron's eyes followed him to the kitchen. Through the kitchen window, he spied an automaton whose body was shaped like a 1950s UFO with several mechanical arms doing several tasks all at once. The chef hat atop would suggest this was the cook.

"You sure about this?" asked Mia, once more capturing his attention. "I mean, we should definitely approach this cautiously. And are you sure you don't run on some sorta battery that'll go down if you're outside your disc for too long?"

Tron laughed. "Miandra, you seem to think I'm like a cell phone that needs charged at the end of the day. My disc and I may be as one, but it doesn't need to be plugged in. As long as I get some energy of some sort, I should be fine. And... if my knowledge of human physiology hasn't failed me, people get energy from nutrients taken in from food, right?"

"Yes. _People_. But – and please don't take offense to this – you aren't exactly... people... Tron. You're a program. But then again, I suppose your stomach _did_ rumble, which would imply—"

Tron placed a hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. "Just let me try this. It should prove fascinating."

Mia's cheeks flushed. He was so sweet. How could she refuse him?

"Just... be careful. If you break, I'll cry for, like, ever."

"I certainly wouldn't want that."

Tron knew he wasn't like normal people. But... with everything that he was finding out, just how different was he? Flynn never really took the time to study this aspect of his being. Tron was beginning to wonder... just how well did Flynn even understand Alan1's programming?

Finally, their food arrived. It smelled pleasing; appetizing. Almost the way he felt when he was going to drink from the energy stream in the Grid. As he lifted the burger to his mouth, Mia stopped him with a gentle warning.

"Just take a really small bite for starters, okay? Just... just to see. Just to make sure nothing, you know, bad happens."

Tron nodded. He lifted the burger to his mouth and bit into it. An explosion of flavor coursed into his mouth. The combined taste of the meat, the cheese, the toppings, the bun... it was incredible!

"Mmm... It's... Mmm!"

There were no words.

Mia was almost embarrassed. The other patrons were glancing curiously in their direction.

Once he swallowed, he noted something very intriguing. The sensation was the same! Like drinking the energy stream, Tron could already feel the food making a difference.

"It's really good, Miandra!"

Mia gave a tentative smile. "Well, while we're throwing caution to the wind, you might as well try the milkshake. I have to warn you though, you'll want to drink it slow—"

But Tron was already overzealously slurping the milkshake through the straw. Almost immediately, his eyes widened and he let out a groan, placing a hand up to his head.

"Nngh... What... What is this? Why does the milkshake make my head hurt so much?" Tron glanced over his sunglasses at Mia with a single eye, keeping his other tightly closed. "Uhhn... It's like... a CPU Grid opponent is driving his disc right between my eyes..."

"Yeah... that's the thing about ice cream and milkshakes, Tron. What you're experiencing is something we call 'a brain freeze.' It's what happens when you drink cold things too fast. Some people say pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth helps, but in my experience, only time heals a brain freeze. It should go away in a little bit, though. From now on, just take it slow, okay?" She tried not to laugh as she began to eat.

Tron made sure to take it easy for the duration of their meal. When it was all finished and Mia had paid for their meal, they were on their way again.

As they sped off through the high paced streets of Epcot, Tron glanced to either side of them just taking in the sights of the amazing metropolis all around.

"So, what do you have planned next, Miandra? What do you do aside from eating?"

"Well, eating is certainly not the only thing I do," she laughed. "You're right about that. As for what we should do next... Hmm..."

There was so much Tron didn't know about the world outside his disc and The Grid. What was the best way to showcase how awesome and fun the outside world could be?"

"Aha!" said Mia. "I've got a great idea!"

A few minutes later, they arrived at Progress Park. They hopped off the Light Cycle and it disintegrated into pixels. Mia pocketed the baton and led Tron into the park.

"This is the perfect place for you, Tron. The park showcases all the different seasons. You can experience the best the outdoors have to offer all in one day! Come on!"

Tron and Mia made their foray into Progress Park. It was quite the wondrous place for Tron. Nature in all of its year-round beauty all in a single experience. Occasionally, Tron slipped down his sunglasses to get a real good look at it in all its colorful splendor. They took them all in order – first, the spring chamber, then summer and autumn, ending the tour with a stroll through the winter section of the park. For this, Mia wore the same caroler dress and fur-lined cape as she had the first time she visited, while Tron was decked out in a long black duster jacket with a hood.

"It's beautiful, Miandra. I've never imagined anything like it."

"Yeah?" she said smiling up at him. "The snow is really pretty, isn't it? Way different than back on Earth. Here, the snow is so pure, but in the big cities on Earth, all the snow plows and cars and pollution eventually make it all dirty-looking."

And yet, despite her words, her expression grew melancholy, as though she were wishing she were back in that world of bustling highways, smog, and dirty snow. Just as Tron was thinking of a way to offer her comfort, she linked her arm in his.

"Anyway, this day is about you, Tron. This day is _for_ you, and we should make the most of it!"

"It's so serene," said Tron, marveling at the gentle fall of the snow and the still peacefulness of the blanketed landscape.

As though the gods of irony wished to contradict him, a renegade snowball flew at them, striking him in the chest.

"What the...?"

A group of kids had built snow barricades and were in the midst of a snowball fight. At the sight of Tron, they had found a delightfully tall and noticeable target. More snowballs came their way. As one came hurtling towards Mia, Tron leapt in front of her as though to protect her, taking the snowball for her.

"It's an attack!" he exclaimed.

But then he heard Mia's mirthful laughter behind him. Confused, Tron turned to her.

"It's not a _real_ attack, Tron," she said as she bent down and scooped up some snow, using her hand to form it into a ball. "It's a snowball fight. A game kids play in the wintertime. It's like Grid Games. There aren't any real bad guys. It doesn't really hurt you. It's just a fun, pretend fight."

Tron watched as Mia pulled back her arm and flung a snowball at the kids, hitting one below the belt. "Oops," she said, laughing. "Sorry!"

"Ha, ha, ha! That girl got you in the crotch, dude!" one of the boys laughed as he prepared to launch another snowball. "I'm gonna get her boyfriend!"

Another snowball came at Tron, pelting him in the same place.

"Ngh... Hey!" It was cold, like the brain-freeze from the milkshake, only much, much lower.

"Ha, ha! Bullseye!" shouted the boy, fist-pumping the air. "Sorry, girl! Hope you won't be needing that for later!"

But Mia was already preparing another snowball. "That crass little brat... I'm gonna get him." She tossed a snowball, but the boy dodged, and it just barely missed him. They were cagey targets.

Tron took his sunglasses off, narrowing his gaze at the kids. Quickly, he scooped snow into his hands and formed – with amazing speed – a solid snowball and pitched it with insane precision into the chest of one of the boys. The boy went staggering. Tron did it again, pelting one boy in the side of the head. Another snowball whizzed towards Tron, but he raised an arm and backhanded it away before unloading his next snowball with incredible force, sending the kid off his feet.

Mia paused in her snowball-throwing to gape, wide-eyed, as Tron continued his assault. As a snowball from their enemies came sailing at her, Tron intercepted the snowy projectile with one of his own. They collided, turning to powder in midair and falling like white dust to the ground. Tron immediately followed with a second ball, hitting another boy in the midsection.

"Holy heck!" Mia exclaimed.

She took a lot of amusement in how effectively Tron beat them at their own game, but now the kids were starting to bail on the fight. Mia took Tron by the arm and tugged him away.

"All right, all right," she said, laughing. "Come on, hero. I think they've had enough. Man, you certainly take your games seriously, don't you, Tron?"

"Shouldn't I?" he asked as he put his sunglasses back on. "When I play a game, I play to win."

Still laughing, Mia led him to a kiosk for toboggan rentals. She selected a toboggan and then held it up in front of her, grinning up at Tron.

"Wanna go sled-riding?" she asked.

"Sled-riding? I don't know anything about it. Is it anything like riding Light Cycles?"

"No," she said, leading the way to a nearby hill where others were sledding. "It's nothing like riding Light Cycles."

Tron studied the sled curiously. "It doesn't seem like a very maneuverable vehicle."

"It's not. That's where the fun is. See?" She pointed to the other folks who were sitting down on their sleds and pushing off down the hill. "You can lean left and right to control the direction a little bit, but beyond that, you're kind of at the mercy of the sled, the snow, and physics. That being said, if you find yourself heading towards an obstacle, it's best to just bail. Got it?" She set the toboggan on the ground and hopped on. "Come on, Tron," she said, patting the sled behind her. "Hop on. Just sit behind me and hang on."

"All right." Tron did as she said and took a seat behind her on the sled, putting his arms around her. "So, it is a race? What's the goal of this game? How do we win?"

"There's no winning or losing," she explained, glancing over her shoulder. "It's not a competition or a game. The object is merely to have fun."

"Have... fun...?"

"Here, I'll show you. Hang on tight."

That said, Mia gave a little push and the toboggan went flying down the long hill, which seemed designed for this very purpose. It was fast, but with very little protection. They didn't even wear helmets. Tron's hood slipped from his head, letting him feel the wind in his hair. He grinned at the sensation. The toboggan was kicking up snow all around them, gaining more and more speed as it went.

As they neared some fir trees, Mia hollered, "Lean left!"

They both leaned, and the sled skirted around the trees.

"Now lean right!"

Tron obeyed, leaning in the directions she ordered to avoid the obstacles until, finally, they reached the bottom of the hill and skidded to a stop. Mia tumbled backwards onto Tron's lap, giggling.

"See? Wasn't that fun?"

Miandra's laughter was certainly infectious. Tron laughed along with her.

"That was great, Miandra! Not as fast as a Light Cycle, but it was definitely fun! Now I understand what you see in it."

"In that case, let's go again!"

So, they went again. Tron was getting to know what it was like to be a child enjoying a snowy winter's day. But this second trip down didn't go as smoothly as the first. They careened out of control, heading straight for a tree. Mere leaning could not save them from a collision.

"Bail! Bail!" shouted Mia as she rolled off the sled and into the snow.

Tron followed suit. The toboggan continued to slide down without them until it bumped into the tree trunk and stopped there. Despite their abrupt ejection, it was no less exhilarating, and perhaps even more for it. Tron loved it. He just might have to talk to Flynn about adding some kind of sledding game to The Grid.

He sat up and gave his head a shake, dislodging snow from his hair. He glanced around, looking for Mia, only to see her laying motionless in the snow.

"Miandra?"

She didn't budge.

"Miandra!" Tron launched himself to his feet and ran to her where she laid. He slid to his knees, coming to her side in the snow. "Miandra, are you all right?"

Mia smiled up at him. "I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "Just got a little winded." Her grin widened. "Were you worried about me, Tron?"

Tron lowered his gaze bashfully. "Well... I..."

Mia grabbed him and yanked him down onto the snow beside her. "Here," she said. "Go like this." She moved her arms and legs in great arches in the snow. "They're called snow angels!"

"Snow... angels?" He did as she said, albeit somewhat awkwardly and sloppily.

When she was finished, she got to her feet and pulled Tron to his. "See? Our arms made the wings and our legs made the little dresses."

"Oh... I think I see it now. So, was that a competition or was that also just for fun?"

"Just for fun. But if it _was_ a competition, I definitely would've won. Look. Yours is a mess!"

Tron laughed. Mia was right. His snow angel was rather sloppy.

"Come on!" she said, taking him by the hand. "Let's do a few more sleds and then get some hot chocolate."

As Mia suggested, they sledded down the hill a few more times. Then, after returning the toboggan, they got two mugs of hot cocoa and took respite in the same gazebo where she'd sat with her father just a week ago.

"Drink it slowly," Mia warned before Tron could dive right in. "It's hot and will burn your tongue and throat otherwise. Kinda like the opposite of the milkshake. But if you drink it carefully, it's really good."

"Mmm..." he said, taking a slow sip of his cocoa. "It's great!"

For a while, they sat in companionable silence, sipping cocoa and just enjoying one another's quiet company. Artificial snow was falling from the crystalline ceiling, dusting the top of the gazebo and the surrounding poinsettias. It was the perfect picture of serene.

"Miandra," said Tron. "I really don't know what to say. All of this has been... It's been great. I never thought that I'd get to do all of these things; things that regular people get to do." He peeked at her over the top of his sunglasses, fixing her with those glowing blue eyes. "Thank you... for giving me the chance to truly experience life."

"Hey, it's the least I can do after everything you've done for me. You know, rescuing me from Gaston and dancing with me at the parade."

"And yet it was _you_ who saved _me_ at the parade," Tron reminded her.

"I suppose that's true. But you only got knocked off the platform because you were protecting me. Anyway, I think all people have the basic right to be happy. And, really, Tron, you're close enough. You're so advanced. Like, the perfect program. You may as well _be_ a person, you know?"

"I suppose so. I _would_ like to be all that I can be. And more, if I can."

"I think you can," she said. "I mean, with technology and artificial intelligence being what it is, maybe it's time to redefine those parameters anyway." She lowered her gaze to her mug. "And really, I should be the one thanking you. I've been through so much lately. Neverland... Captain Hook... Worrying about my Dad on Earth, fighting with Blair and Flynn... I've just felt so depressed and alone. But hanging out with you has really cheered me up."

Then, to his surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. It made his skin tingle in a pleasant way. He smiled back at her.

"You're welcome, Miandra. Your smile... is cherished. Coveted, it seems. And being the recipient of it is a true honor."

Mia couldn't help blushing a little. "Coveted?" she chuckled self-consciously. "I don't know about that."

Somewhere a clock sounded. Mia tilted her head, listening to the chimes.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I promised to show you the sunset! Come on!"

She downed the rest of the hot chocolate and grabbed Tron, pulling him back outside of the crystalline structure which housed the park. She gazed up at the sky. The sun was already much lower than when they'd entered the park. Evening was almost upon them.

"I know a great place where we could watch the sunset," she told him, thinking of the hillside where Flynn had taken her one night a couple weeks ago. Her expression fell. "Oh... but we'd need to be able to fly there. I guess I don't have a good way of getting us there."

Tron tilted his head in contemplation. It might be a foolish idea, as it was the very opposite of remaining inconspicuous, but he hated to see Miandra so disappointed.

"Hmm," he said. "Miandra... Maybe this time you can hold onto _my_ back."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it," he said with a mischievous grin not so unlike Flynn's.

Mia did as she was told and Tron closed his eyes as though in concentration.

"Remotely accessing Flynn's Imagination Database. Adding 'Light Flyer' now." When he opened his eyes, they gave a brief flash. "Installation complete." Tron extended his hand and a large baton materialized in his grasp.

"Woah! You can just summon Flynn's Light Flyer?"

"It's not Flynn's exactly. I simply downloaded the schematics and added it to my program. This one is now my own."

"Cool!"

"Hold on, Miandra."

The Light Flyer materialized around them and they lifted into the air.

"Woo hoo! I don't think I'll ever get tired of this!" Mia exclaimed as they soared across the Epcot skyline. She pointed ahead of Tron in the direction he needed to go. "That way! There's a clearing in the woods way up in those mountains."

Tron flew the Light Flyer the way Mia directed him, leaving Epcot behind. It seemed unlikely that the Light Flyer wouldn't have been seen by someone. Granted, the one thing they had in their favor was that seeing experimental high-tech vehicles coming and going from Epcot wasn't overly unusual. But one with glowing patterns like theirs was certainly a signature design of Imagineer, Kevin Flynn.

Before long, they touched down upon the grassy hill which overlooked the city. Mia hopped down from the Light Flyer and ran to the edge of the hill.

"Isn't this great?" she said. "Flynn took me here when I returned from Neverland. We sat out all night, talking and listening to music. It was..." She trailed off, her expression growing melancholy. "It was great." Her tone was sullen, depressed. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing such unwanted feelings. "A-Anyway, this should be a great place to watch the sunset."

Mia took a seat on the grass and Tron followed suit as they both watched the sun slowly descend towards the horizon line.

"It's beautiful," said Tron. "Just like the sunrise. This day has been more than any program could ever ask for."

"You're not just a program, Tron. Not to me, at least. You rescued me from Gaston and you brought me that message from my father. And the second one you did all on your own, without any directives from Flynn. I don't care what you are. Program or human – it doesn't matter to me. As far as I'm concerned, you're my friend."

Mia leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder as the sky slowly went from orange to pink and then purple. Tron glanced down at her. He wasn't entirely sure what was expected of him in this social situation. Miandra was, as Tron understood it, a lovely young woman. He ought to consider himself honored to have her company. In fact, he was certain that he was. But was he supposed to do something more? Was she expecting something of him that Tron, fairly new to such social interactions, wasn't able to provide?

"I know you've been thanking me for today," she said. "But I think I should be thanking _you,_ Tron. You were a real classy date."

Tron stared at her for a moment before returning his gaze to the sunset. "Miandra... Is that what this is?"

"Yeah, I think so. But only if you want it to be. Don't worry," she quickly added. "I'm not expecting anything more from you."

Though she meant what she said about Tron being more than just a program, at the same time, Mia understood that was what he was, and that it meant he had certain limitations. Nevertheless, this time out with a friend, on a date, even if ultimately it would not amount to anything – just a casual date – was just what she needed.

"You've been the perfect date, Tron. You certainly didn't learn that from Flynn," she added with a derisive snort.

"Miandra... I really don't think you should be so hard on Flynn. He means well. He has a good head on his shoulders. And more than anything... he has a good heart." Tron gazed out at the sights around them, in particular down towards Main Street where he knew a certain programmer to live. "I think you should give him another chance."

Mia frowned and pulled away from him. "When Flynn stops being a jerk, I'll stop being so hard on him."

Tron arched an eyebrow at her and Mia let out a long sigh.

"Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he's being a jerk. I got him in a lot of trouble, after all."

She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her forearms, looking altogether melancholy.

"But, I mean, I _tried_ to apologize and make it up to him. I was trying to be supportive, but he lashed out at me. I guess... I guess I'm just not so sure we're meant to be anything more than acquaintances." She turned her sorrowful gaze to Tron. "By the way, you never did tell me how last night went."

But before Tron could reply, Mia shook her head and quickly interjected.

"No, never mind. I don't want to know. I'll find out eventually, I guess." She lowered her chin to her knees and gazed glumly at the setting sun.

"Well, Miandra, at the very least, maybe you should work things out with your father. I'm more than happy to be your friend. You've shown me just what true friendship can be. But I think it's time to remind yourself of those who love and care about you."

Mia turned her head away from him, unable to meet his gaze. "I'll think about it, okay? It's not as easy as all that."

Tron just didn't understand. He meant well, like a person; a good friend. But he also worked off a purely logical basis, like a program should. He didn't understand how hard it was to say 'I'm sorry' and bury the hatchet when hurt feelings were still so raw.

The sun had set, giving rise to the much cooler light of the moon and stars. A chill breeze ruffled their hair and Mia shivered. Wintertime was fast approaching. Soon, the red, orange and yellow colors of autumn would disappear beneath a blanket of white. It wouldn't be long before Yuletide was upon them. Although she didn't want this day to end, Mia couldn't justify staying out much longer, especially when her teeth began to chatter.

"I g-guess we'd b-better be getting h-home," she said.

Tron piloted the Light Flyer over the Epcot skyline once more, Mia clinging tightly to him and pressing herself against his back for warmth. They touched down on Tomorrow Hill, landing a modest distance from the house so as not to alert Professor Mercurial to their arrival.

"We've gotta be stealthy," said Mia. "We can't just walk through the front door. We still don't want my dad to know I have you. We'll have to climb through the window."

Ever since he'd come out of the disc, Mia hadn't once considered the idea of simply making Tron disappear back into his disc as a way to keep him hidden. It was a true testament to how she felt about him that she kept forgetting to think of him as only a program.

Their ascent to the window was not quite as stealthy as Mia thought. As she and Tron climbed the garden trellis, Blair glanced up from his book and watched them through the living room window. Fathers are not always as clueless as their daughters assume. Blair Mercurial was no exception.

Late last night, he had stood outside Miandra's door, mustering up his courage to enter and make another attempt at talking to her when he heard another voice. Pressing his ear to the door, he soon became privy to the situation with Tron. He wasn't so sure he agreed with Kevin's alleged belief that Nigel Channing was Yokai, but he had to admit... the fact that Kevin had unearthed the redacted microbots from within the Imagination Institute's archives was unsettling. Yokai, whoever he may be, very well could be affiliated with the Institute in some way. And if that were the case, Tron was in danger so long as Flynn was away from the Institute.

Although Mia's recent behavior had upset and disappointed him, the one way in which she did her father proud was through her heroic efforts to protect Tron. Furthermore, Blair was proud of his daughter for giving the humanoid program a chance at humanity. Tron was very, very advanced. Perhaps the most advanced A.I. Blair had ever come across. Furthermore, Tron had done a good kindness for his daughter, and now she was returning the favor.

Blair wished Miandra would open up to him. He so wanted for things to be right between them again. But if she wasn't ready, he didn't want to push her. At the very least, he was pleased that, in the meantime, she had a friend to confide in. Perhaps Tron might be a step in the right direction... for both of them.

~~~

The nighttime routine was as follows. Mia helped Tron undress, blushing the entire time and refusing to answer his questions about why her face was turning red. Then, she washed the makeup from his face, as though she were a mother wiping dirt from a rambunctious child after a long day of outdoor play. She even snuck down the hallway to procure some night clothes for Tron to sleep in, relatively certain that her father would be none the wiser, since the clothes she stole were from when he was a slightly younger and somewhat thinner man.

Although he hardly required sleep attire, as programs didn't truly get tired and sleep the way people did, Tron didn't stop her. It was nice to be treated like a real person, and he found himself quickly growing contented with it.

An hour later they were laying side by side in Mia's bed staring up at the ceiling. She seemed to be treating this as though it were a legitimate sleepover between friends. Tron was starting to wonder if, perhaps, Mia had forgotten that he wasn't the person she was starting to see him as. But after a long moment of silence, she asked a question that revealed she hadn't entirely forgotten after all.

"Tron," she said softly. "When you go back into the disc... where do you go?"

"You mean... when I'm in stand-by mode? Are you asking if there's some sort of existence within my disc?"

Mia rolled onto her side, propping herself on her elbow to look at him. "Well... yeah, I mean, I guess. Are you conscious? Do you have thoughts while you're in there? Or are you just sort of floating in limbo, not really thinking or doing anything? Are you even aware of yourself, or do you not become aware until you're called out of the disc? Is it like sleeping?"

Such a sudden slew of questions. But then, perhaps the most poignant was her last one, spoken so softly that it almost seemed as though she was embarrassed for asking it.

"Do you... do you get lonely in there?"

Tron turned to look at her, scrunching up his brow as he formulated his response. "I... I don't know, really. I've never truly contemplated it. It's... difficult to explain, Miandra. It's like when you go through the digitizer beam into the Grid... only... you don't come out on the other end. Do I truly have a physical form? I'm not sure. I've never attempted to be conscious for it. I suppose, in a way, it _is_ like sleeping."

Mia was quiet for a moment as she contemplated this. Then, nodding, she laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling once more. "I suppose if it's like sleeping, then you can't really get lonely. I guess that's good, at least."

She was quiet for a longer time. In fact, this time she was silent for so long that Tron was beginning to think she'd fallen asleep. But then, another soft, tentative question came.

"Tron... Do you remember Alan?"

Tron's eyes went wide. For a moment, he was silent as the grave. But gradually, he replied as he stared off into space, to a place that Mia could not see.

"Alan1... Alan Bradley... My User. My creator. I... I do have memories of him. I just... haven't considered them for some time."

"I wonder if he made you like him," she mused. "Alan, I mean. Humans like to create things in their image, don't they? It's kind of like being a god. I mean, Flynn said – and I know from seeing Alans' picture – that you look like him. But Flynn admitted that was more his doing than Alan's – your appearance, that is. Flynn really misses him. Maybe he's hoping there's a bit of him in you."

Tron said nothing. There was still so little he knew about the inner workings of his current User's mind. Flynn was a good man. He knew that. He respected Flynn and followed his every directive... until recently, that is. But as for Flynn's personal feelings about him, Tron hadn't such insight.

Mia was quiet again. Then – "Do you miss him? Or do you not remember enough about him?"

"I remember him," he replied, though this was not exactly what Mia had asked. "In my developmental stages, when he was imbuing me with my fundamental programming, he would always smile as he taught me. 'Someday,'he would say, 'Someday you'll do great things. You'll help so many people.'"

Tron's mouth quirked in a melancholy smile. "'Tron,' Alan1 would say, 'You'll defend the innocent, help those in need, and you'll fight for the Utopia.' He taught me everything about right and wrong. Installed countless forms of martial arts programs. And... he made sure that I could understand peace. Serenity. Beauty." Tron nodded to himself, on his face a wistful, almost sorrowful expression. "Yes... I remember Alan1 clear as day."

The way Tron spoke of Alan was almost like the way someone would speak of a benevolent father. But in Tron's case, it was almost like speaking of God. Mia wondered... What would it be like to talk to God or a god, some benevolent creator, whomever it may be, the being who created the world, all worlds, all things, all life? What would it be like to learn directly from a benevolent creator, talk to him, learn from him, to be able to interact with him... only for him to be taken away?

In the case of humans, God is endless. He cannot die. But in Tron's case, the case of a program, their benevolent creator is finite and can die. What must it be like to watch the god who created you die? Humans often feel alone because they cannot see or touch God, but they have faith that he, or someone, _something_ is out there watching over them. But for Tron... he'd seen his god. He'd talked to his god. Maybe even touched his god in some sense. And now... now he must feel so alone. So abandoned.

Mia couldn't help it. She began to cry.

Tron's wistful smile slipped away as he turned towards her. "Miandra? Why are you crying?"

"B-Because... I'm c-crying because I know you won't... or can't."

He leaned over her and brought a hand to her cheek, and for a wonder, it was warm. Mia sniffled as he gently brushed away her tears.

"You needn't cry for me. As much as I wish I could still seek Alan1 for guidance, he died protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. I only hope I can live up to the example he set for me."

Suddenly, Mia threw her arm across him and pressed her face against his chest. "But I don't want you to die protecting people! I know you're a hero, but I don't want anything to happen to you! And... and Flynn... I'm pretty sure it would destroy him inside if anything happened to you." She hiccupped, her tears halting for a moment. "It's no wonder he was so short with me," she realized. "It wasn't being put in jail or suspended without pay that bothered him. It was the fact they took you from him. He had to blame me because he had no one else to blame. It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't tried to get a message to Earth for me. But I get it now. I do." She hugged Tron tighter, pressing her face more firmly against his chest.

"Miandra..." Tron wrapped his arms around her, holding her in his comforting embrace. But Mia was far from comforted. Instead, she had discovered a newfound concern.

"What if you _are_ Alan, somewhere deep inside? Like Alan Version 2? We can't let anything happen to you! Ever!"

Tron smiled as he caressed her hair tenderly. "Miandra... I don't intend to go anywhere. I will, for as long as I hold out, fight for the Utopia. And... I'll fight for you."

Mia cuddled him tighter. "Tron," she said, "Today's been so awesome. I know it's kinda funny, maybe it's strange, but even though we haven't known each other for very long, and even though you're a program... I don't know... It's like you've become my best friend."

"I appreciate that, Miandra. I really do. I appreciate the fact that you see me for more than what I am on the surface."

"I was so scared when Yokai attacked you. When he almost derezzed you. If that ever happened again, I... I don't think I could handle it."

Tron's eyes narrowed and his smile slipped away. "I won't allow that to happen again," he said darkly. "I know his tricks now. He won't find me in that same situation a second time. If I see him again, I'm bringing him down. For good!"

"Personally, I'm hoping we never see him again," said Mia with a shiver. "But if we do, I won't stand by and let him hurt you. I'll fight _with_ you, Tron. Just like before. _I'll_ fight... for _you_."

Tron smiled. "Thank you, Miandra, for being a good ally... and a true friend."

Yawning, Mia closed her eyes and rested her head upon his chest. "Tron..." she said, her voice growing fainter as sleep came closer to claiming her. "Do you think we'll ever achieve Utopia?"

But she was asleep before he had the chance to reply. And yet, gazing down at her with a soft, tender smile, Tron answered her nonetheless.

"For you, Miandra... for everyone... We must."


	10. Gracey Manor

By the end of the week, rumors were circulating that the Dreamfinder's daughter had been seen going about town with a mysterious, but handsome young man. However, no one was able to identify the man in question. With Miandra Mercurial being, herself, a well-known personage, it wasn't any wonder that gossip about the company she kept would spread like a wildfire. And so it did, not only around the city of Epcot, but Main Street as well, and not just the nice part of town. Even Downtown Main Street was buzzing with talk about The Dreamfinder's daughter and her mysterious new beau. When news got to Flynn, it was from the mouth of a cat.

Flynn was just coming back from running a few errands when he caught sight of Julius, the feline businessman who owned the pool hall below his apartment. The cat was standing outside when Flynn arrived with the key to his apartment hanging out of his mouth and his hands full of grocery bags.

"Heya, Flynn! I heard the news. That's a tough break, kid."

Fumbling with his groceries and still with the key in his mouth, Flynn replied through his teeth.

"What are you talking about, Julius? What's a tough break?"

Julius blinked at him in confusion. "Uh... about your dame. The Dreamfinder's kid. About her apparently seeing another guy?"

Flynn dropped his groceries and spat the key out of his mouth as he ran over to Julius. "The hell you talking about, man?"

The black cat's eyes grew wide. "Oooh... Ooooh jeeze. You didn't know. Oooh... Well, uh... I thought you woulda heard it. There's gossip all over town about it. She's been seen with this tall, good-lookin' fella. But nobody ever seen 'im before. Nobody's got the poop on who he is."

Flynn stared at Julius in disbelief. "The poop?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard, pal."

For a moment, Flynn stared contemplatively at the ground, suddenly feeling sick. Then, "I gotta go," he said. Flynn reached into his jacket and pulled out his Light Cycle baton. He activated it and was pulled forward onto the bike.

"Hey, kid!" Julius called after him. "What about your groceries?"

"Keep 'em!" Flynn called back as he zoomed off.

Julius bent over to inspect Flynn's discarded groceries. "Heey... Canned peaches!"

Flynn flew down the street at high speeds, not exactly sure where he was going. He needed to track Mia down, and he knew just how to do it. With some upgrades, Flynn was able to access his ace program even from his Light Cycle.

"CLU..."

CLU responded in his stiff voice. "Yes, sir?"

"Track Light Cycle - DreamGirl model."

"Right away, sir."

~~~

It seemed the only two people unaware of the rumors circulating around town were Mia and Tron themselves, as they strolled through the city without a care in the world. A week had gone by, and Mia spent every day of it with Tron, showing him new sights and teaching him new things. Tron had become very contented with his current existence. Outside his disc, he was constantly learning. It begged the question as to why Flynn had never thought to allow this.

It was possible Flynn didn't even realize Tron was capable of being outside his disc so long, or more likely, Flynn was simply overprotective of his brother's program; his brother's legacy. There was still so much more Flynn had yet to learn about Tron. When all was said and done, Tron would be happy to teach Flynn what he could about himself. But for now, he was content to spend time out in the world, of which he was growing quite fond, and with Miandra, of whom he was even fonder.

Tron continued to wear her father's old dress clothes while Mia wore a skirt, leggings, and a chic sweater and matching knit hat, further sparking rumors that she and this mysterious stranger were dating. Perhaps Mia had become a little too complacent with her new routine of going out with Tron. She hadn't any romantic inclinations, but it was true that she was enjoying having her very own Tron program to dress up and go out with. It took her mind off the more troubling things of late, and Tron was more than happy to oblige her.

Their first stop was the theater. An opera was being performed, but neither Tron nor Mia could have anticipated just what they were about to see. From their balcony seats, they watched as the people performed, not on a stage, but inside giant bubbles floating in the air.

"How do they do that?" Tron and Mia whispered to each other at the same time.

Then, once more in sync, "You mean you don't know?"

Laughing, Mia said, "Jinx! You owe me a soda."

"A soda? Why?"

"Shh!" admonished the old woman behind them.

Giggling, Tron and Mia settled in to watch the rest of the performance.

~~~

CLU's tracking system led Flynn, of all places, to the local theater. A show was just letting out. As the crowd spilled out onto the street, he spotted them – Mia and some handsome young man, though older than Mia, perhaps about Flynn's age. So, slightly older men were her type, huh? That explained a lot. What it didn't explain was just who this guy was and why she was with him. When did they even have time to meet?

Flynn followed the two from the theater – the freakin' theater?? – to Mr. Schweits' Main Street confectionary. Flynn couldn't determine the man's identity. He was too far away, and besides that, he was wearing sunglasses. Why was he wearing sunglasses in the theater?

When Mia and her date emerged from the confectionary, they each had a small bag of sweets. Mia was munching on some chocolate covered pretzels. She paused to place one into her date's mouth, then waited expectantly for his opinion. What he said must have amused her, for she giggled and then traded bags with him. Then, holding hands and swinging their arms, they trotted off to the shopping outlets.

From outside the window of a women's clothing shop, Flynn watched Mia try on clothes, only to come out from behind the curtain to model for her date. She was modeling for him! How unfair! And then, it seemed it was her date's turn to model for her. The mysterious stranger tried on several different outfits at Mia's suggestion, and when it was over, she paid for his clothes! Just what the hell was all this? Who was this jerk? And how could he let Mia pay for his clothes? Judging by what he was wearing, he certainly looked like he could afford to buy them himself. Was this guy making Mia fund their entire date? Flynn couldn't believe it.

~~~

Mia was trying to take Tron to as many new places and get him to experience as many new things as possible. The only trouble was, she was still learning her way around Cerenopia. She wanted to do something new and different. The theater and the confectionary had been a great success. Tron even seemed to enjoy trying on clothes. But where to next? She didn't want to repeat Progress Park. Surely there must be somewhere else.

A kind gentleman at the outlets told her about Queen Eva Memorial Gardens. From the sound of it, it might well be an equivalent of Kensington Gardens in England. Mia was excited to go. This would be something new for both of them. So, following the directions given by the kindly gentleman, Mia and Tron rode her Light Cycle to the gardens.

Queen Eva Memorial Gardens was a massive park erected and dedicated to the memory of the late Queen of Cerenopia, Cindy and Snow's mother. It was beautiful. Certainly, a romantic place for a stroll. But it was here that Tron noticed they were being followed.

_Flynn._

Somehow Flynn must have heard that he and Mia were going out and about. And from the look of him and how he was constantly trying to remain out of sight, Flynn wasn't too happy about it. Perhaps he had the wrong idea. If so, it fell to Tron to fix this. He was tempted to simply call out to Flynn. But then he considered the repercussions of this. If Miandra discovered that Flynn was spying on them, she'd only be angry. There was no way that would turn out well for them. Thus, if Tron was going to take this chance to get Flynn and Miandra to work out their issues, it would seem he'd have to take a more... forceful approach.

Mia was enjoying herself, but Tron seemed somewhat fidgety. Just when she was about to ask him what was going on with him, he led her into a thick copse of trees in an overgrown, rarely traversed part of the gardens.

"Um... this is certainly off the beaten path," said Mia, chuckling nervously. "Why are we going down this way? You okay?"

"Miandra... This has been an absolutely invigorating day. I've enjoyed every minute of it." Slowly, Tron turned to face her, his expression one of intense euphoria. "It makes me feel... _alive!_ I just have so many, many feelings running through me. Some..." His gaze focused more intently upon her. "...I'm only starting to truly understand." Suddenly, Tron grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her against a tree.

"Ngh! H-Hey! T-Tron, what're you..."

He leaned in close and a strange smile crossed his face, one which seemed very unlike him. "I think... it's time I figured these feelings out."

Mia gulped. Was he...? But surely he wouldn't. Then again, she'd had him out of his disc for a long time. Who knew how it might affect him? Laughing nervously, she placed her hands against his chest and tried to push him back.

"Stop joking around," she said. "You know, maybe we ought to get you back to your, um, disc or something. Maybe it's just been too much today. I think you've gotten a little overwhelmed. Let's take it easy, huh?"

Tron resisted her attempts to push him away. His sunglasses slipped to the edge of his nose. Mia gasped as his eyes flickered from pale blue to red. What was happening? Was he malfunctioning? Had he been hacked? This couldn't be good.

"Take it easy?" he said, his gaze narrowing. "How can I? You've just gotten me to feel so much. To experience so much! And you've been... just so... nice to me." His smile grew positively wicked. "I think I know what you really want."

He pressed against her again, forcefully, so that she could not fight him even if she wanted to. He was too strong. He leaned in closer. Mia swore she felt his lips brushing against her ear. Or was it just his breath? Did he even _have_ breath? It was impossible to be certain.

Meanwhile, Flynn, who had followed them to the grove, was watching the proceedings from behind some shrubs. From a distance, he could not hear what was being said, but it looked to him like Mia's new beau was turning from a dream date into a nightmare. In fact, it looked like he was trying to force himself on Mia!

_No way. Not on my watch, bub._

"W-Wait," Mia stammered. "You don't understand. You've got the wrong idea! Listen, Tron... I-I think something's wrong with you. We need to get you looked at. Please get off."

Tron placed a finger against her lips, silencing her. "Shh. I want... to enjoy this." He leaned his head down, his lips coming within inches of the side of her neck.

"No! Let me go!"

At the sound of Mia's cries, Flynn leapt out of the bushes. "Hey! Leave the girl alone, dipshit!"

"Flynn!" Mia exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "Thank God you're here! You've got to do something!"

Flynn clenched his fists tightly. "Oh, you bet I do. I'm about to beat some sense into this pretty boy!"

Tron closed his eyes and stepped away from Mia. "It's about time you showed up," he said. He removed his sunglasses. His eyes were no longer flickering. They had returned to their cool luminescent blue. "I really didn't want that horrendous act to go any further. So I'm thankful you cut in when you did."

Mia gaped at him. If Tron's words were any indication, it seemed it had all been... some kind of act? Tron turned to face his user. Flynn froze, his face paling. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost. In a tone that was almost a whisper, he spoke.

"A-Alan...?"

"Alan?" said Mia, glancing confusedly from Flynn to Tron. "Ohhh... Right. Oops."

"The name of my User," said Tron, taking a step forward. "Or, rather, my original User. Flynn, look closer."

Flynn studied the face, particularly the glowing blue eyes. "T-Tron?" He glanced back and forth between Tron and Mia. "What the hell is going on here, man?"

"Well, I'm not sure what was going on with Tron just now," said Mia, casting the program a furtive glance. "But otherwise, we've just been... you know... hanging out. See, I dressed him up and put makeup on him so he could blend in. We can't have people recognizing him. I just wanted him to know what it was like to be a person, so I took him out on a date."

Flynn shook his head, still incredibly confused. "Wait... you... you've been... It was Tron?? The whole time? Julius at the pool hall told me there's been all this gossip going around town about you dating some mystery guy!"

"Wait... Gossip? About _me_? Jeeze! What is _with_ people?"

Flynn ignored her, looking at Tron. "It was just you?"

Tron nodded.

Flynn shook his head in disbelief before turning back to Mia. "I... Mia... you're not supposed to be running around town going on dates! You're supposed to be keeping an eye on Tron!"

"Uh... yeah. As we've already established, Flynn, this _is_ Tron. I've been going on dates with Tron. Ergo, I've _been_ keeping an eye on him."

"But... Why are you going on dates... with Tron? He's... He's not supposed..."

"It's like she said before, Flynn. She was giving me the opportunity to see what it's like to be like you. Like her. Like anyone."

Flynn gaped at him. It was becoming apparent that he never truly anticipated the depths of the program standing before him. "But... what was... what was with all the..." He waved his hand at Mia, as if to wordlessly address the fact that Tron was all up on her.

"Well, when I realized you were following us, I had to do _something_ to get you and Miandra together." Tron turned to Mia, lowering his head shamefully. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, Miandra."

"I wasn't so much frightened for me as I was for _you_ , Tron. I thought you'd been, like, hacked or broken or something. Don't scare me like that!" She swung her satchel at him and hit him in the butt. "Meddlesome program," she murmured affectionately.

Tron returned her smile. But for Flynn, this was still too much to digest. He rubbed his temples, muttering to himself.

"This... was definitely the last thing I expected to find today. Tron, you're becoming way trickier than I ever thought you could be. I don't know if Alan knew just what he had when he programmed you."

"In honesty, Flynn, I don't think you really knew what it was that Alan1 truly created me for. It's something I'm still learning for myself."

For once, Flynn was at a loss for words. Even Mia was baffled by this. Wasn't Tron created as a defense program, to fight for the utopia? Was there more to it? She'd long since suspected there was more to Tron, but could it be that Alan had purposed him for something even beyond her and Flynn's comprehension?

"But that's best saved for another time. Right now, it's time that the two of you settle things." Tron moved behind Flynn and pushed him towards Mia until they were standing practically chest to chest.

Mia gazed up at Flynn, feeling a little awkward. Flushing, she lowered her gaze. "L-Look, I don't know why he's meddling. I didn't tell him to do this. But while you're here... I'm sorry that I screwed up and got you in trouble. You're not the only one who's mad at me. My father and the princesses are all mad at me. Even Figment won't talk to me. Anyway, I know you were worried about Yokai taking Tron, so that's why I stole him." Mia kept her gaze lowered. Flynn could almost feel her trembling. "Could you... Could you please not be mad this time? I-I was only trying to help."

"Mia," Flynn sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I was never _really_ mad at you. It's just... you know... all the stress piling up. Shit going sideways with your other dad, getting Tron and my control phone taken from me, getting arrested _and_ suspended... and, of course, all the Yokai stuff. I just took it out on you, honey. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about being totally uncool to you."

Mia leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest, her arms hanging at her sides. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'm so relieved you don't hate me. And I never properly thanked you for all the trouble you went through for me. Thanks, Flynn. And I'm sorry."

Flynn placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "Hey... If I didn't think it was worth the trouble, I wouldn't have done it. I only wish it could have gone better."

"Actually, Flynn," Tron interjected. "It went better than you realize. It just went better... _after_ you left." He gave Mia a knowing glance.

Flynn looked from Tron to Mia. "Oookay... So, what's our pal here being all secretive about, huh? What's he mean, it went better than I realize? What happened after I left?"

Mia exchanged a grin with Tron. "Should we show him?"

She reached into her satchel and pulled out Tron's disc. She handed it to Tron, and he activated it. The holographic message from Edward Baxter began to play. Mia thought she wouldn't cry the second time around. But she was wrong. She got just as teary-eyed as the first time Tron had showed it to her.

_"H-Hey, baby. It's... it's your father. I just want you to know how much I love you, Mia. I love you so, so much."_

Flynn was in awe. He was discovering all kinds of new things about Tron. He wasn't even aware that Tron was capable of doing this. Was there hidden coding in Tron that Alan had created that Flynn simply couldn't access or read? How had this function escaped his notice? He listened intently to Edward's message, particularly the part concerning him.

_"You should know, I, uh, may have been a bit hard on your friend... Flynn. And Tron. So, when next you see that punk,"_ Edward said with a small smile. _"Let him know I appreciate that he came to me at great personal risk to himself..."_

Mia lowered her gaze as the message continued. She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks and couldn't stop them no matter how hard she tried.

_"I hope this isn't goodbye,"_ her father continued. _"I hope, someday, I'll see you again. If they won't bring you back to me... Well, then I'll find a way to get to you. Wait for me, sweat pea, okay?"_

With that, the message was over. Tron handed his disc to Mia and she slipped it back into her satchel. She hastily wiped at her eyes, managing a smile for Flynn.

"So, you see? You and Tron made a difference after all. He was able to bring me a message from my dad. It wasn't just a wasted trip. I mean... if that makes you feel any better," she said with a little shrug.

Flynn was beside himself with awe. "This is... This is great, man! Super cool! I wish I'd known about this sooner! I might not have been in such a lousy mood if you guys told me about this." His excitement was palpable as he placed a hand on Tron's shoulder. "You're more amazing than I ever realized! I need to get you back so I can take a closer look at your coding!" Flynn held his hand out towards Mia. "Give me Tron's disc. It's time I discovered just how incredible a program he really is."

Mia clutched her satchel to her chest as though Flynn were a common mugger. "But Flynn, you _can't!"_ she proclaimed, looking scandalized. "If I hand him over and Dr. Channing or anyone else at the Institute finds out, they'll think it was _you_ who stole it, and you'll be in even more trouble! You could lose your job or... or worse! You'll have to wait until your suspension is up."

"Aw, come on, Mia! Be reasonable!"

"No! _You_ be reasonable!"

"C'mon, man... that's like... so long from now!"

"She's right, Flynn," said Tron, crossing his arms and giving him a stern look. "We can't let you risk getting into further trouble. It would be best if you waited for now and let Miandra keep me safe for you until Dr. Channing allows you back."

"So that's how it works, huh?" said Flynn begrudgingly, but without any true malice. "Defeated by a program and a teenager." He crossed his arms and slumped against a nearby tree. "That lousy Channing... I still have my suspicions about him. It's no wonder he didn't want to listen to me when that new shit had come to light. He just wanted me out of the way." He stared gloomily at Mia. "I guess Tron is better off with you for now, Mia. But what're you gonna do with him for the rest of the time? Keep dressing him up for date nights, letting people think you've got some mysterious boyfriend?"

"Maybe I will," said Mia crossing her arms and smirking challengingly at Flynn. "I'll do whatever Tron wants to do. It's his vacation, after all. How about it, Tron? Do you want to keep dressing up for date nights and playing at my mysterious boyfriend?"

Tron opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated when he caught Flynn glaring at him. But before more could be said on the matter, Mia spun towards Flynn, as though just realizing something.

"Wait," she said. "What 'new shit' has come to light? What are you talking about?"

Flynn shifted uncomfortably. It seemed he let a little too much slip. Blair had encouraged him to keep the phenomenon of the time differences between worlds syncing up to himself. Flynn almost didn't want to say anything. Tron, however, pressed for more.

"Flynn. What's going on? What have you learned?"

Flynn grit his teeth. He had no qualms about telling Tron, having always believed that Tron could keep a secret. But Mia? He wasn't so sure. But with Tron looking at him the way Alan used to look at him whenever he wanted him to share some withheld information... Flynn closed his eyes and shook his head, pushing thoughts of his brother out of his mind.

"All right, all right! Jeeze. Look, you can't tell anyone this. Understand me? This has to stay between us. Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Of course," said Tron. "You have my word."

Flynn looked at Mia, awaiting a confirmation. "You promise me?"

"Sure. I promise. But what's the big secret?"

Flynn stepped closer to them, gazing at Mia, specifically, and spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Well, remember how I estimated that when I went to Earth through the Rainbow Corridor, I should only be gone for a few hours in Dizgagia? Well, I was gone for almost a week, right?"

"Yeah," said Mia. "And had me worried sick. I thought something terrible had happened to you. What took you so long?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," said Flynn. "That was, roughly, the same amount of time I spent on Earth."

Tron's brows lifted in understanding. "In other words, you're saying that the temporal flux between Earth and Dizgaia has aligned."

"Exactly! I'm saying there's no longer a time difference between Earth and Dizgaia. It's synced up! I don't know how. I don't know why. But that's why I was gone for so much longer than I'd anticipated. We're running on the same time!"

"But that's great news!" Mia exclaimed. "That means the people I know and love on Earth won't be long gone before I get to see them again." She frowned. " _If_ I get to see them again. But anyway, that must be a good thing, right?"

"Well, perhaps in that sense it is, but it's a little more complicated than that. We really don't know _why_ the time has synced up," explained Flynn. "As nice as it sounds, the reasons could be... Well, not so nice. It'll require further investigation. So we've decided that, for now, it's best if—"

"Wait. _We?_ " asked Mia. "But you said Channing wouldn't listen to you when you tried to tell him. So who's _we?_ "

"Uh, w-well..." said Flynn, flushing and looking as though he wished he hadn't said anything.

"Wait... Does my dad know?"

Flynn hesitated to reply. Blair had told him to keep it a secret. But did that include keeping it a secret from his own daughter? Flynn had already told Mia, when clearly Blair hadn't. What would happen if he admitted this to her? But then again, what benefit would there be in lying?

"Yes. He does. I told him about it after he bailed me out of the clink. He made me promise not to tell anyone about this. I assume because he's concerned about the implications, the why's. He doesn't know what it means or what's caused it."

But Mia didn't care why it had happened or what caused it. All she cared about was her father's knowledge of the situation and the fact that he'd kept it from her.

"If he's known this whole time, then why didn't he tell me?" With a cry of rage, she turned and punched the tree. "OW!" She winced and waved her hand, blowing across her knuckles. "Ngh! I can't believe him! First the letter from Hook and now this?!"

Flynn and Tron exchanged glances. "Uh... Letter from _Hook?_ Mia, what are you—"

"I can't believe he kept that from me! He knows what it means for me and my parents... for Edward... for my chances of seeing him again!" Mia brushed the heel of her hand across her eyes, wiping at her tears. "I... I need to go," she choked. "I'm sorry."

"Mia, wait!" said Flynn as she took out her baton and activated her Light Cycle. This was just the sort of reaction he was afraid of. "Hang on a sec! Let's just—"

But it was too late. Mia took off in a wave of tears, leaving Flynn and Tron behind in the gardens. Tron went wide-eyed. "Oh! She still has my..." He closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry, Flynn. I have to go, too."

With a flash, Tron depixelated and vanished, leaving behind the clothes Mia had provided him. The fell into a heap on the ground where he'd been standing just moments ago.

Flynn smacked a hand to his face, letting out a groan. "And _that's_ why I need to keep my big trap shut." He sighed as he gazed at the pile of clothes on the ground. "And I get left with the laundry."

Flynn bundled up the clothes and activated his Light Cycle.

"Here we go again... CLU, track Light Cycle, Dreamgirl Model."

~~~

Mia didn't know where she intended to go. She just picked a direction and took it, driving through Main Street at inadvisable speeds. She wasn't considering the consequences of her actions. She just wanted to put distance between herself and the issue; between herself and Flynn (even though it wasn't Flynn she was truly mad at), between herself and her father, and everyone on Cerenopia. Mia hadn't thought she'd ever be homesick for Earth. How could she have ever suspected she would be? But then again, she never suspected that she'd fall in love with Peter Pan, have an affair with Captain Hook, be heartbroken by both of them, and then never see her mother and father again; nor would she have ever suspected Blair Mercurial, the Dreamfinder, of such deceit. It was this betrayal that hurt the worst.

The day they went to Progress Park, Blair had admitted to knowing of the forgetfulness effect Dizgaia could have on those from Earth, and he admitted to being hesitant to remind Mia of her adoptive father because he was afraid of losing her again. But she thought they were past all that. Now, however, after all the trouble she and Flynn had gotten into for making contact with Earth, and now with Blair having kept Hook's letter as well as the news of the temporal alignment from her, Mia had to wonder if he wasn't doing it intentionally and if he wasn't still being a little selfish. With these thoughts in her head, Mia drove as though on autopilot, and before she knew it, she'd reached the outskirts of the city.

Thoughtlessly, Mia followed a winding road which cut through a long tunnel of trees which, strangely, were not looking overly pleasant. In fact, they looked dead, or close to it. Eventually, the tree tunnel gave way and she found herself driving along a long, lonely, cobblestone road. Tall, scraggly weeds were growing up from between the cracks, as nature attempted to reclaim what was once a street frequently traversed by horse-drawn carriages in a time long-forgotten.

Curious, Mia followed the road to its end and screeched to a halt as she arrived at a grand estate surrounded by a large brick wall with a wrought-iron gate. Emblazoned above the gate was the name 'Gracey.' Beyond stood a mansion, long since condemned, with Italianate columns and cast-iron railings and buttresses lining the first and second floor exteriors. This house was far larger than the Mercurial home. It was a true mansion in every sense of the word.

Mia felt her anger ebbing as she stood gaping at up this strange structure which she'd stumbled upon completely by accident. But at the same time, something about it felt vaguely familiar. There was a chill in the air and a sense of inexplicable foreboding, and yet Mia wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to explore a hidden gem like this. As silly as it was, she had, for the longest time, been under the impression that Cerenopia simply began with Epcot and ended with Main Street, with only the city of Hyperion and The Frontier on the other side of the country as places she had yet to visit. But no one had mentioned anything about a more rural township on the outskirts of Main Street.

The manor was overgrown and unkempt. The caretaker and the mansion's inhabitants were clearly long-gone. Mia had to wonder what the story behind this place might be. Perhaps it was time to do some investigating and see what she could learn about it. She hopped off the Light Cycle and it depixelated. She pocketed the baton and gave the wrought iron gate a push. It swung open with a loud creak.

Mia walked up the long, cobblestone drive and through an overgrown courtyard and a fountain devoid of water but filled, instead, with ivy and kudzu. She circled to the back of the manor and peered out over the decorative railing which encircled the mansion. Behind the mansion was an overgrown path winding through unkempt wilderness, suggesting that this might once have been quite the elaborate garden.

Mia took a set of brick stairs down to garden, or what _used to be_ the garden, and followed the winding path until it became so overgrown that she could no longer make it out from the rest of the backyard. Of course, calling it a 'backyard' was a bit disingenuous. The property was positively massive. Mia decided to cut through the center of the property and circle back to the front of the mansion when she tripped over something and went sprawling.

"Agh!"

She winced as she gently prodded her ankle. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken. She'd only tweaked it. Mia glanced back to see what had tripped her and gasped.

A tombstone.

"What the...?"

Slowly, she rose to her feet and looked around. What she had thought was a garden was actually an overgrown graveyard!

"Yeesh!" she said with a shudder. "Rich people are so morbid." She couldn't imagine living in a house with its own cemetery in the backyard. For what purpose?

Mia walked through the graveyard a little more cautiously now, careful not to trip over another tombstone. Beneath the weeds and brush, there were graves as far as the eye could see. How many people were interred here? Five hundred? A thousand? Mia shivered. Perhaps it was time to leave this place. She wasn't much for the macabre. But then, she came to a halt beneath a dead oak tree as something caught her eye that made her heart stop.

Beneath the tree was a tombstone with the name _Edward Ba—_ But whatever was left was obscured by foliage. Though she knew it to be a silly, impossible fear, Mia nevertheless reached forward with a trembling hand and brushed away the foliage to reveal the name in full.

_Edward Baldwin._

Mia breathed a sigh of relief.

_Really, Mia, you idiot. What did you think? That while you were gone, your father died and was buried on Dizgaia on this God-forsaken property in the middle of nowhere? You certainly are the Dreamfinder's daughter, but with an imagination like that, you're bound to give yourself a coronary._

Nevertheless, the name and the inscription below it, _Loving Father,_ pierced her heart like a knife and she felt anger coursing through her once more. Who was Agent Royo to forbid her from seeing her adoptive father? And just who were the princesses to do such a thing? She didn't care if they ruled Cerenopia. They didn't rule _her._ They had no right to forbid her from seeing Edward again, and neither did Blair, for that matter. Just as he had no right to keep secrets from her.

Beyond the oak tree on the east side of the mansion was a glass extension, something like an atrium which may have once housed an indoor garden. The glass was broken in several places. Mia bent down and picked up a rock. Nobody lived here anymore. It was obviously condemned. Therefore, she had no qualms about what she was about to do. In a desire to blow off some steam, Mia hurled the rock at the glass structure, smashing through one of the glass panes. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, Mia picked up a second rock and lobbed it as well, never noticing the strange, otherworldly fog rolling slowly over the graveyard, nor that the air seemed to have grown suddenly colder.

As the rock flew through the glass, sending an echoing shatter across the still and silent property, something seemed to have changed. There was a strange sound, like a whisper on the wind. A low, distant moan rose from somewhere on the property. Mia froze.

_What was that?_

It was only then that Mia noticed the peculiar mist floating across the grounds, and she had the sudden, unsettling feeling that she wasn't alone. Like someone was watching her. Mia glanced around but saw no one. However, she did notice that the sun was sinking lower in the sky and a purple dusk was settling over the manor.

_I need to go._

The subtle sound of a distant moan returned. It seemed to be ramping up until, quite suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Mia let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Mia! It's okay! It's just me!"

"Flynn!?"

He glanced around them, wearing a panicked expression. "What the hell are you doing here? _Here_ , of all places?"

"W-Why? What's wrong with here?" she asked as he steered her away from the mansion. "And hey! How'd you know I was here? Did you follow me?!"

She was all prepared to get mad at him again, but something in his countenance chased it away, replacing it, instead, with a feeling of foreboding.

"Listen up, honey," he said. "We _really_ shouldn't be here. We need to go. Now!" Taking her by the hand, he led her around to the front side of the mansion. Mia could see his anxiety in the set of his jaw and his shoulders. She could feel it in how tightly he squeezed her hand.

"Wh-Why? What's wrong?"

"Just... trust me on this. This is not somewhere we oughta be."

Dusk had fallen. There was only the faintest of light remaining as the sun dipped below the horizon, giving the atmosphere a purple sort of glow. The fog was growing thicker, slowly rising to their calves and making its way up to their waists, as though it wished to drown them.

"Is it normal for fog to act this way?"

Flynn shook his head. "No... No, it really isn't." He continued to usher her away from the mansion and towards the front gates.

The moon was slowly rising. As it reached the level of the dead oak tree, a high-pitched wail echoed across the property, like wind rattling the eaves. But suddenly Mia wasn't so sure that's what it was. In the distance, she heard the sound of tambourines, and somewhere an accordion began to play a lonely cadenza.

"Hey... Do you hear that?"

"Y-Yes," said Flynn, uncharacteristically shaky in speech. "And that's why it's time to go!"

But when they reached the main driveway, the iron gates slammed shut in front of them, locking them in.

"D-Did those gates just swing shut by themselves?" asked Mia.

"Yeah... It looks like they did. And I _really_ wish we weren't here right now."

"Y-You mean... we're trapped?"

Flynn moaned in lieu of an answer. A second sound seemed to echo it. Mia spun around and gasped. On the other side of the glass atrium, through which she'd previously been throwing stones, there was a pale white face gazing back at them.

"Uh... F-Flynn..."

But Flynn wasn't paying much attention to her at the moment. Instead, he was fighting with the gates, shaking them and trying desperately to force them open.

"F-Flynn, there's someone looking out the window. I-I think it might be a—" Mia's sentence ended in a scream as something seized her ankle and she was yanked down below the level of the fog. Raucous laughter echoed from the mansion as Mia was dragged through the fog towards the front doors.

"MIA!"

Flynn groped blindly through the fog, trying to grab her, but the only thing he managed to snag was her satchel... unattached. He could still hear her screams and the growing laughter of the ghouls inside as the mansion doors swung open as though to swallow their prey.

"MIA!!!"

He could see a faint trail in the fog, as if something, or someone, was being pulled through it towards the gaping maw of the mansion.

"Oh, no you don't!" Flynn reached into Mia's satchel, his hand wrapping around the only weapon they had. "There you are!"

He gave Tron's disc a good throw. Like a deadly frisbee, the disc whizzed through the air. It pinged off a pillar and ricocheted off another. Distressed moans rose up in response, as if he'd startled the specters residing within the mansion. It was enough to stop Mia's momentum dead. Tron's disc illuminated the dark and tore a path through the fog, revealing Mia, who'd come to a stop at the front steps leading up to the open doors from which the moaning could be heard.

Tron's disc returned to Flynn's outstretched hand as he ran towards the front porch. "Mia! You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she said scrambling to her feet. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Joining hands, they both bolted towards the gates. From somewhere behind them came the sound of a requiem bell. Mia did her best to ignore it as she seized the iron bars of the gate and gave it a violent shake. But despite not being chained or locked in any way, the gates simply wouldn't budge.

"Ngh! How do we get out of here?"

She was hoping for an answer from Flynn, and certainly not expecting the garden's statues to reply. A line of five stone busts of men, long since dead, turned their heads towards the two trespassers.

"YOU DON'T!" they cried out.

Flynn jumped in a startled panic and threw Tron's disc, decapitating one of the busts and sending it falling to its side.

"He's killed Phineas!" screeched one of the busts.

"To be fair, Uncle Theodore, 'ol Phinny was already dead."

"But now he looks just ghastly!"

Flynn stared at the busts, jaw agape. Disjointed musical notes arose from the mansion behind them, as though someone were playing a very out-of-tune piano.

"FLYNN! A little help here?"

"R-Right," said Flynn, stuffing Tron's disc back into Mia's satchel and handing it back to her. "Yeah, I think I've had enough of this for one day." He reached into his jacket and pulled out the bigger baton.

Mia slung her satchel over her shoulder as Flynn activated the Light Flyer. As he hopped onto it, Mia climbed on behind, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. With a loud hum, the Light Flyer lifted off the ground and flew over the gates.

From behind them, as though carried on a breeze, a distant voice called out. "Hurry baaaack.... Hurry baaack... We've been _dying_... to have you..."

Mia shivered and clung tighter to Flynn as they left the manor behind. A patch of ivy rustled in the wake of the Light Cycle's wind, fluttering aside to reveal an old sign stuck to the brick wall surrounding the mansion.

_No Trespassing by Order of the AMPA._


End file.
